The Flip Side
by paynesgrey
Summary: After Odin destroys his body as punishment, Loki escapes to Earth and plans his revenge by taking over the body of Jane's assistant, Darcy Lewis. The girl who loves tasers, however, does not make it easy for him. Darcy x Loki. AU.
1. The Gopher and the God

AN: Avengers AU-compliant and not canon to the new Avengers movie. There are no spoilers for the Avengers movie. Written for the Avengers_Bang on Livejournal. Thank you to psyco_chick32 for the beta job.

* * *

The Flip Side

Chapter One: The Gopher and the God

Darcy Lewis blinked back oncoming tears as she stood in front of the Avengers Mansion (and also known as Stark Tower) and gripped the suitcase in her hand.

This was a dream job.

No, it was a dream _life._ How the hell Jane Foster was able to get her a job with S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers still made her scratch her head. And it wasn't the "Jane is boinking the Thunder God" part either. There was more to it than that. She couldn't believe anyone would trust in her work experience that much, but Jane Foster had wanted _her_, little ole' poli-sci major Darcy Lewis as her assistant, and Nick Fury and Tony Stark had obliged her.

Plus, Thor had somehow given her a wicked recommendation.

The first week at S.H.I.E.L.D, of course, was total gopher work. She got coffee, she alphabetized files, and she even picked up Nick Fury's dry cleaning. Jesus, it was sucky work but she enjoyed every bit of it with a smile on her face. A bright, cheery smile.

Of course, she still was allowed her taser at work (considering how much weird dangerous shit went on at S.H.I.E.L.D, no wonder) and Darcy only saw it as icing on the cake to this dream job.

Now, because she had no money and nowhere to stay, Thor and Jane had appealed for her to get one of the guest rooms at the Avengers Mansion. It had what it seemed like millions of rooms anyway so what did it matter if one little S.H.I.E.L.D gopher (and personal BFF of the Thunder God) stayed there? With her key card in hand, a computer voice named Jarvis recognized her and opened the door for her. When she stepped in agape, another Avenger she'd heard about - Steve Rogers (_CAPTAIN FREAKING AMERICA_ - she said in her head), was waiting for her.

He wasn't wearing his uniform, unfortunately, but he still looked stylish in his brown coat and khaki pants. He smiled at her and Darcy thought she was going to faint in a puddle of drool. (_Holy shit, he's smiling at me, talking about the weather and taking my bags like a gentleman!_) However, the meeting between her and the dreamy hunk of American male was cut terribly short, and Darcy wondered when she'd meet Steve again (or run into him in the mansion in a towel; she wasn't picky).

When Tony Stark arrived, he rambled off some general rules to Darcy about the mansion, handed her off to a stone-faced maid and took Steve away. Darcy almost cried, but she held it in, and all emotions changed when she saw the sheer size of her new bedroom.

Why would she want to leave this posh, cozy little place for work ever again?

.xxxxx.

_There is a balance to everything, _Loki thought. He'd done some bad things. Bad, bad things that more or less gave him amusement. He'd tried to kill his own father, banish his brother, and put a choke hold over the Asgardian realm. He tried to kill millions of Frost Giants with trickery and deceit. He'd also allied himself with several unsavory characters just to get more power, to one-up his brother even more and then enslave the human race.

All and all, he found it quite entertaining. Pity it hadn't worked out.

He did not foresee betrayal from those so-called unsavory characters he'd allied with. Well, of course he knew they were capable of it, and he'd even planned ahead - but apparently, he hadn't planned well enough.

So, he became a good guy. For a minute. It made Thor happy, at least, which left such a bad taste in his mouth he thought he'd never get it out. His brother had also claimed responsibility for him, which saved him from whatever laughable torture and punishment S.H.I.E.L.D had waiting for him.

As if they could ever truly punish him or contain him. Silly, delusional Midgardians.

But he wasn't a good guy. He was, of course, not a monster despite the fact that he was a Frost Giant and his skin was blue. It didn't matter. He'd like to think he had..._some_ sense of compassion. He wasn't always a silver-tongued trickster, despite what the Warriors Three had always said about him.

Still, Loki was tired of the stigma. He was tired of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D, and more importantly, he was tired of the power trips. Maybe he needed a vacation?

He wanted a break. He wanted to go back to space and jump around other dimensions and planets again. He wanted to whore around a bit since it'd been awhile since he did that. He wanted to drink mead, turn humans into ice cream for a laugh, and catch a few rides at Disney. Maybe he'd even learn to subdue an alligator and ride it like a horse around Miami Beach, scaring the tourists.

Frankly as he thought more about it, his stay on Earth was becoming more mundane every day. He was bored - no question, and though his brother had a constant, beady blue eye focused his way (as were the eyes of the other Avengers - if they could find him), he honestly didn't want to give the super heroes any sort of encouragement to capture him again.

Perhaps he couldn't prove to them that he was a good guy. Though it wasn't within his nature, he wished they could at least understand he didn't want to be _bored_. (Plus, he'd been avoiding a trip to Asgard. A stern lecture from the All-Father was not something he was looking forward to, in the grand scheme of things.)

So...he'd have to come up with another nefarious plan. There was no other way to indulge himself. Of course, this plan had to seem harmless to his watchful brother, and all cloak and dagger to the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. He could play off his own lethargy and boredom with the world, pretend he was emotional and full of angst and 'Woe is me, brother!'. His brother usually caved instantly to that sort of thing, got a tear in his eye and would bend to Loki's will after a nostalgic story and a strong hug.

But in reality, he'd have a plan. A _good_ plan. A plan that would fool everybody! It would be so magnificent, so devious that his brother, the loyal and affable Thor, wouldn't even notice the wool being pulled over his eyes! Then, he wouldn't notice Loki, the silver-tongued trickster born again, stealing the Hammer right from under his nose!

_Yes,_ he thought, smiling wickedly as he sunk into the chair. He looked around his dark, inter-dimensional study and sipped a glass of wine. _It would be a great plan,_ he thought again.

He just had to figure out what that plan was going to be.

* * *

Loki felt the first place he'd look for a good plan was in a glass of mead. Well, beer, as they called it now. Things just weren't the same anymore in Midgard after the Vikings died out. Instead, he felt the modern humans were sort of weak, either overly skinny or overly obese, and had more care for the pleasures in life than war. Well, some of them still liked war, but there was still a lot that was disconcerting about the average mortal.

Technology and other modern advances had changed them. Loki couldn't figure out if it was for the worse or not. They were definitely not as entertaining as the Vikings had been, but the Vikings had been superstitious and well, primitive. Their religion was horribly different, if they had any religion at all.

Loki disguised himself in his normal black coat, houndstooth scarf and gray slacks. He wondered if anyone would notice him, considering not too long ago he'd intended to rule this planet and forced hundreds of Midgardians to bow to him.

Ah, well, if only that had worked out.

So he headed to somewhere obscure, a small bar in the armpit of the world called New Jersey. He observed, drank horribly weak alcohol, and considered acquiring company that evening. At least, Loki noticed, the Midgardian females had improved since the Viking days.

At least they cleaned themselves in this age.

After the tenth mug of mortal beer, Loki finally felt the slight buzz. Disappointed, he eyed a tall, well-toned female that reminded him of Lady Sif, only a tad prettier and less masculine in aura. His eyes traced down the curves of her body, tightly wrapped in a fitted scarlet dress and accented with gold, sparkling heels.

_Lovely,_ Loki thought, and he stalked over to her. He stopped a few feet away when he heard a loud clatter to his left. Someone had swung open the door to the bar so roughly that it ripped off its hinges and crashed to the floor. Three towering and noisy Asgardian guards squeezed through the door, spotted him with a glare, and then marched toward him. Loki slowly began to slink away before he smacked into a hard surface. Turning around, he spotted a familiar face.

"Volstagg," he forced with cheeriness.

"Snake," he quipped back at him, and Loki made way to disappear before he could get a hand on him, but he felt frozen. Hearing a buzz in his ear, his blood went cold as he was unable to use any magic to escape. _What the.._.he thought, and when he turned around felt the blood drain from his face.

He looked into the one good eye of his father, and quickly noticed that the air in the bar had gone still - frozen even, as if the humans that had once danced and moved with life were mere statues.

"Father..." Loki spit out, still struggling to move to no avail. He knew this meeting was coming, and Loki had been smart enough to avoid it for now, but he never imagined the All-Father would actually swoop down to Midgard to find him.

Apparently he'd been hiding long enough.

"Son, I have summoned you many times and you have not come home. I am afraid I will have to take you by force," he said, his voice beginning soft and ending sharp.

Loki inwardly winced, but he jutted out his chin in defiance. "You can take me now, but you will not keep me for long, Father."

"Loki," he said, chiding him like a child, and anger immediately tore through him. "You have committed many crimes against Asgard and Midgard. Surely, you did not believe I would not hold you accountable."

"I would think my turning sides and helping my brother defeat the foe that threatened Earth would earn a generous pardon," he appealed.

But Odin was not impressed. "A foe that you yourself had brought to Midgard," he said, pausing. "It is not your crimes on Midgard that concern me, my son. You must be tried and sentenced for what you have done to Asgard. You plunged us into war, destroyed the Bifrost, and you committed treason with the Frost Giants. No, no, your lies have gone unpunished for far too long."

Loki opened his mouth to speak, but Odin had already torn his gaze away from him, unconcerned. "Take him," he said, and Loki felt invisible chains wrap around his blood, his nerves, and his entire core. Odin had departed, falling into the mists as his group of sorcerers emerged. Loki snarled at him. Charlatans! All of them. He could take them off one by one! Loki glared at him, gnashing his teeth as he still struggled to move against their power. His father must have given them some of his own power because at his best, Loki wouldn't bat an eye to take down these fools.

But today he wasn't at his best, not with the All-Father's power stifling him as they summoned binds of poisonous angry snakes around his arms, hands and legs. Loki could feel them biting him, weakening him with their venom. He fell to his knees, feeling his vision blurring at the corners of his eyes. Sweat dribbled down his forehead and he tasted a salty drop as it fell on his lip.

"Scum, all of you," he said in a hoarse whisper, and he felt his body suddenly move without his command. "You'll pay," he said, and as smoky darkness enveloped him, he couldn't fight the onslaught of crushing power any more.

* * *

"Whoa!" cried a voice behind her. It was Darcy's afternoon off, and she was catching some Vitamin D back at the Stark Tower by the ridiculously luxurious pool. Thinking she'd feel self-conscious around Natasha or even the fill-in Avengers, Wanda and Janet, Darcy decided to say screw it and dig out her bikini and work on her tan.

She lazily turned around, noticing Clint Barton staring at her, his eyes moving from her ass to her breasts.

"A nice surprise to come home to," he said, grinning at her. She managed a coy smile and waved at him.

"Hey, Clint," Darcy said. "Fighting bad guys is over already?"

"Well, Fury dismissed me today. No use getting in between Steve and Thor," he shrugged. "I was due a whiskey on the rocks anyway."

"Thor and Cap fighting again?" Darcy said, and she could feel the weight of his stare as she got up from her towel and headed toward the bar. Jarvis could probably prepare them both drinks if they asked the over-sophisticated computer, but Darcy wanted to do it the old-fashioned way to score points with Clint. That, and she wasn't sure Jarvis would make Clint's drink strong enough straight and would probably slip some seltzer in it to ward off the excessive amount of liquor.

Grabbing the Johnny Walker Blue, Darcy rounded up a high ball and some ice, and poured the drink. She turned around, still aware of Clint's eyes on her, and she leaned against the high bar and held out his drink as he sauntered over with a smile.

"You are the ever efficient assistant, aren't you?" he said, coming close.

"I try," she said, a little too breathlessly.

Darcy liked Clint. She liked him well enough that she almost didn't mind being one of his conquests. Yes, and Clint had a reputation. Natasha was mindful enough to warn her on her first run in with them in the Tower, and Darcy wasn't sure if that was for her sake or for Natasha's. Usually, Darcy wouldn't mess with anyone else's man or potential man, and though the Black Widow was scary, Darcy was having too much fun to be cautious yet.

So, what was the harm in flirting?

Clint moved closer, complimenting her pouring skills, which was Darcy found inwardly silly but cute in her reply, and before he could sweep the hair over her shoulder, as she assumed he wanted to do, she heard his comm link beep with Fury's raging voice spilling through the receiver.

"Barton, back to base. Now," said his superior gruffly.

Clint sighed, outwardly disappointed, which made Darcy feel a little good about herself, despite her own disappointment that he was now leaving, and she'd be alone again.

"On my way, sir," he said. Clint downed his drink, handed it to her, and gave her an apologetic farewell.

Darcy pouted at the loneliness of Stark Tower again. Nick Fury was definitely on her shitlist today.


	2. A Change of Plans

The Flip Side

Chapter Two: A Change of Plans

In this situation, Loki was reminded of a simple, emphatic phrase that he picked up on Midgard, and as the sorcerer's held him down by magic and the guards strung him up with snakes against a huge boulder, Loki sighed and met his father's eyes warily, using the phrase. "Really?"

Odin's steely stare seemed to stab through him. "It is little more than you deserve, my son."

"You would tie me to this rock and let these snakes devour me? Or would you kill me and send me to Valhalla?" Loki snapped at him.

"No, I will not leave you on this rock, Loki, for it is certain you would eventually find a way out. And in Valhalla you would only find another secret way to come back and create more destruction. If I am going to truly punish you so that justice may be done, I will have to separate your body and your soul," Odin said, and Loki's eyes widened as if he did not believe what he was hearing.

"Separate my soul...? Are you mad?" he hissed at him.

"Yes. We will destroy your body, and with their spell and my power, it will take two thousand years for your body to become whole again, and your consciousness will be trapped here," he said, pointing to a new staff that he held in his large hands. Loki glared at it, annoyed that he did not notice Odin carrying his usual staff with him instead of this one, a slender scepter with a dark red jewel already humming with his power.

"You...will imprison me in that? Until my body has healed itself and come back?" Loki roared. "What kind of punishment is that?"

"A fitting one, and while you're trapped inside this scepter, you will have ample time to reflect on your crimes and someday strive to be a better son, a better man," Odin said.

Loki struggled against his bindings, the snakes' fangs digging deeper in his flesh the more he thrashed. "No, no, you can't do this," he said, pleading quickly, but his father did not bat an eye to his terror. He felt scared for once, but invigorated with survival instincts. He would not go like this. He would not be encased in a jewel for hundreds of years. He would not... Odin wouldn't get away with this.

In his frenzy, Loki realized what the snakes were for. Their venom, acidic in make-up, began to eat away at his skin. Not even Loki's magic could stop his flesh from burning off his bones due to the venom of these highly magical creatures. He screamed from the pain, his skin turning black before the white of his bones shined through.

"No..." And he closed his eyes. Feeling his magic pool into a spinning orb in his mind, he gathered all his strength, all his knowledge, all the life force he could muster and pooled it all into one final incantation.

"His body is almost completely gone," Odin said, and Loki began fighting through the excruciating pain, meditating all his magic and thoughts into one final act. He was barely a skeleton, his eyes already melting out of his sockets as he glared up at his father.

"Start the spell," Odin said, barking orders to his sorcerers. Loki paid them no mind, not even with a scathing thought to their weak magic. He spoke the words as his lips burned off his teeth, the spell barely a breeze through his deteriorating throat.

His ears completely caved as he heard Odin's thunderous roar.

He felt a snap like a taut willow cracking against the wind, and then he was free. He could sense the air of disappointment in his Father's aura as his consciousness lifted like a ghost above and caught onto a westerly breeze of the wind.

His father had successfully destroyed his body to nothing more than a skeleton in his punishment, but his enchanters had failed to muster the kind of power to contain him, despite Odin's confidence in them. Loki thought he would smile if he had lips, but instead he headed down the repaired Bifrost toward his secret pockets in space that took him to Midgard.

Then, he would find a temporary body so he could figure out how to get his original body back, which he assumed his father would keep imprisoned as slowly his immortality would revive him, even against Odin's spell.

There was no way he, Loki, would wait two thousand years for his body to grow back either, and in all his magical knowledge, he was certain he could find some kind of loop hole or way to become whole again in a much shorter time.

* * *

As a floating consciousness, Loki learned a lot by observation. He was on the hunt for a temporary body, and he knew well enough that he'd have to snag a body that not only didn't reject him but also was useful in his revenge against Odin so he could get his rightful body back.

His choice would have to be strategical, and within those thoughts, he headed straight for Nick Fury's S.H.I.E.L.D base and spied on the hive of drone workers under Fury's command. He found them boring and unhelpful, and when he spotted Iron Man, he got an idea. Following him, he listened on to his conversation.

It was about women, naturally, and Loki was well aware of the "playboy" reputation Tony Stark had made for himself. He was proud of it, and though he was sure most Midgardians found it admirable, Loki found it maudlin and predictable.

However, Tony's salacious story about whatever female he was bedding at the time gave the Trickster God an idea.

Women were very seductive creatures in this age. They played all sorts of games, had more charms than a magician, and had often gotten their way by playing the victim or weakling. Some women were weak; Loki did not deny that, but some of them used that to their advantage.

Some of them were tricksters, and in that he could admire them.

It would be better, he resolved finally, if his temporary body were that of a woman. As a woman, Loki could needle and manipulate his way into any situation and get whatever he wanted.

She'd have to be highly attractive and have a certain appeal, but since time was sensitive, this woman would also have to have some sort of access to S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers, but not so much that anyone would notice her. She had to be inadvertently stealthy, almost invisible but without the ability to raise suspicions.

He thought of Natasha Romanoff first. The Black Widow was very influential in the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D, and men drooled over her, so much that it was almost embarrassing. She was well aware of how attractive and powerful she was too, and she was the type of human woman that used it to her advantage, and then discarded unwanted people aside when she was done with them.

Yes, she would be perfect, and Loki, of course, could observe her personality enough to mimic it without anyone knowing Natasha was being possessed. He'd play his part and act as Natasha perfectly, and then, he would find a way to use her and her resources to get what he wanted.

He just needed a physical body to do magic and research to undo this spell on his body and use a new power to regenerate it faster, once it was within his possession. Which meant he'd have to find some way to get to Asgard from here, in this human's body. As his brother Thor worked with the Avengers, Loki was sure he'd have no problem using a colleague to gain his brother's trust and somehow use him to get him back to Asgard.

He followed Natasha throughout the day, studying her mannerisms and speech patterns. He took notes of what she liked to eat, what she liked to wear, and how she carried herself around specific people. When he followed her back to Stark Tower, he noticed her approach another female calling herself Darcy Lewis, and the Widow's usual cool and aloof demeanor suddenly softened. She smiled at Darcy and it wasn't forced.

The girl was ready at the door for Natasha with a Midgardian drink known as a martini. "For you," Darcy said with a grin, and Natasha smiled gently before taking it. She handed Darcy her computer and bags, and the short, odd woman followed her toward her room in the tower, chatting with her on how she "totally missed a perfect day to lay with Darcy poolside and gossip about Clint's obvious and pathetic attempt at a soul patch."

_Whatever that was, _Loki thought.

Curiously, Loki watched the two women talk, and as Natasha relaxed around the ordinary girl, Loki was surprised that someone of Natasha's reputation and prowess could show such an obvious weakness to someone so ordinary.

Loki learned more about Darcy as the girl sparked his curiosity. For a day, he abandoned shadowing the Black Widow around in favor of Darcy Lewis, who surprised him by her access to S.H.I.E.L.D as well as her obvious invisibility as a low-ranking gopher. Most of the time S.H.I.E.L.D operatives barely noticed her, and though it was apparent her access to S.H.I.E.L.D's records were limited, he supposed if she _had_ gotten the access no one would even notice her.

Of course, given Darcy's low rank and status, Loki assumed no one would even think Darcy could gain access to any secure files in the S.H.I.E.L.D computer system. Overall, Loki got the sense that everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D underestimated Darcy Lewis and would never expect her at all to do anything remotely traitorous or covert. She was a wide-eyed, open-minded girl with her own saucy attitude, and wore her heart and anger on her sleeve. She was obvious in her feelings, and after a rather juvenile scene with Nick Fury, Loki realized that Darcy Lewis was also a terrible liar and the whole of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers were aware of this as well.

Loki watched as Nick Fury caught Darcy and pulled her aside in the kitchen, and he crossed his arms tightly and stared at her in exasperation with his one beady eye, admonishing her about using company time to log onto Facebook and look at "cat macros" whatever they were. Darcy's eyes were wide, and her skin went as pale as frost. Loki could feel the fear rolling off her. She didn't want to lose her job, and despite her quips and cheeky remarks, she was actually afraid of Nick Fury, to some degree. More than anything, she was afraid of him canning her and losing her chance to have the best job in the world.

Or, so she told Natasha one time when they were three martinis in and Natasha was gently scolding her to not flirt with the eligible male S.H.I.E.L.D operatives.

Apparently, Darcy's outwardly less-than average looks and awkward mystique intrigued many of the males in the S.H.I.E.L.D and Avengers teams. Loki couldn't understand it, but he certainly found the power of it intriguing.

Darcy Lewis was that unassuming, that vulnerable and clueless in some regards, yet spry and mouthy in other ways that painted a mixture of strange quirks about her which made her more appealing than she outwardly appeared.

Loki had snooped even more about her, knowing if Darcy gave herself more credit and polished her looks a bit as other Midgard females did, she could probably do even better, get even more responses, and have influences that would confound and debilitate men, bending them to her will.

Loki smirked. She was exactly who he needed. Natasha Romanoff had definitely been too obvious a choice; Darcy Lewis, with her untapped potential and strange charms, would definitely be the best fit for a host.

Floating in the ether, Loki's attention perked as the S.H.I.E.L.D agent named as Hawkeye sprinted toward Darcy after a meeting, grinned at her and invited her out to drinks. Loki knew this was his chance.

With alcohol consumption and inebriation, the girl's consciousness would be easier to fight, and then he could move in and take over her body.

Darcy walked cheerfully along with Clint, and Loki followed, waiting and hovering for that perfect moment when the unassuming girl would be his.

All his.


	3. The Not So Obvious Choice

The Flip Side

Chapter Three: The Not-So-Obvious Choice

Darcy soooo wanted to post this on Facebook, but she knew that Coulson and Fury would have collective heart attacks, die and then haunt her on the toilet and then manage to come back to life to fire her.

So when S.H.I.E.L.D operative - well, hot and doubly hot, Clint Barton did a body shot off her generously endowed chest and then grinned triumphantly at her, Darcy reveled in the moment.

"Those things are a dangerous weapon, ma'am," Clinton Barton said, licking up the rest of the lime and pointing to her chest. "You got a permit for those?"

"By God himself," Darcy said, raising her chin. Holy hell, she was glad she was not slurring and still acting like a bad-ass in front of him despite her drunkenness. She gave him a coy grin. "A girl's gotta protect herself, you know." He whistled at her and chuckled at her. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, and she knew that if she could just stay on her feet an hour or so longer, she would become one of his conquests, and hell, that was totally okay with her.

"But it's always good to have a backup plan, right?" Clint said, glancing at her taser that poked out of her purse on the bar table.

"Girl's best friend," Darcy said. "Instead of diamonds, but those are nice too."

"Something tells me you're not much of a diamonds kind of girl," Clint said, ordering another round. Shit, he was going to get her even more drunk.

"You'd be surprised," Darcy said, and she took the shot that was flung at her. Turning to her left, she saw Tony Stark grin at her. Okay, so that was weird, and this was some party. Plus, alcohol seemed to make Tony a lot cheerier. He was staring at her tits too; at least, he wasn't quickly averting his eyes from them, as he did at work. Darcy lifted her drink to toast him, and she saw Steve tap Tony's shoulder and shoot him a warning look.

"Hey... Clint," Darcy was slurring now. "What's the deal with Steve and Tony. Are they..."

"Uh," Clint stuttered, and clearly he did not want to approach the subject. "Hey, how about some food. We could order the poppers?" He deflected, and he gave her one of his irresistible smirks that left her feet a puddle of goo. "You like spices?"

She leaned against the table on a propped elbow, staring at him with fuzzy and starry eyes. "Uh huh," she hiccuped, and Clint laughed at her.

"Spicy poppers it is," he said, and he'd leaned close to whisper to her. She could feel his warm breath, and she lurched forward just as he pulled away. What a tease! He laughed when his eyes danced at realizing her intention. Darcy pouted as he turned to the waitress and ordered their food.

If anything, Darcy could see Clint drawing this flirtation out all evening long. Maybe she was moving too fast, and he'd lose interest the moment he saw that she was too easy. Well, Darcy could wait. She could make it interesting too.

She unbuttoned the thin green cardigan to reveal her snug black Cami shirt that snugly hugged her curves. Some heads turned and she slid the cardigan over the back of her chair and stretched her arms into the air. She felt her breasts dance, and she cheered for attention. "So who's going to buy me another tequila shot?"

In a snap of her fingers, five shots were put in front of her. She grinned at her admirers joyously.

* * *

Loki watched as Darcy Lewis, the definite host of his new temporary body, fell face down onto the bar table in a drunken stupor. The girl had taken on more alcohol than she could handle, and those around her let out a collective sigh of disappointment as she was finally out.

Clint Barton seemed the most disappointed, and he surely didn't appreciate the quick lecture the wholesome Captain America had given him about taking responsibility for Darcy and driving her home.

Complying, Clint moved to heft Darcy against him, and Loki knew it was his chance. When he hovered over her, he could feel that she was completely out. Sliding into her like a phantom serpent, he felt a weak spiritual opening in her skull, just below the third eye chakra. He felt the electric charge of her brain as nerves screamed at his intrusion. Subduing them with a mystical whisper, he slid inside her. He took control of her muscles and the motion of her breathing first. Soon, he became ruler of all her functions, and he reached out inside her mind, finding her consciousness still sleeping, and still unaware of his possession.

Blinking her eyes open, he mumbled through her voice. Clint, who was carrying her out of the bar, felt her stir.

"Darcy?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Loki said through her voice. He realized that now he had to become a believable Darcy, and Loki hoped that he had studied her enough that Clint wouldn't get suspicious. Of course, he'd have some leeway at first; Darcy did appear incredibly pissed drunk to him, and he'd think that she was not herself anyway.

Clint chuckled at her. "Of course you're fine. You had like three martinis and eight shots of tequila. I'm surprised you're not dead to the world and that you can even speak."

_You have no idea, fool_, Loki thought, and in the back of his mind he could still feel Darcy sleeping unaware.

He managed a small giggle through Darcy's lips, and he could tell that Clint was definitely affected by the sound. The man practically was drenched in lust for the girl. Of course, Loki could use that to his advantage someday. Perhaps Clint Barton, who was one of Fury's most trusted operatives, could get him the access to Asgard that he desired.

Loki turned to him with Darcy's best pout. "Thank you for not leaving me there. You're a real hero," she said, laughing.

"Haha, very funny, Darcy," Clint said, and Loki swung out of Clint's arms and spun away from him with a little dance.

"Are you taking me back to Stark Tower?" she asked him, swaying against him. He came up to her and gripped her arms, pulling her against him.

"You know I am. I have to or Steve will kill me. You didn't tell me he was your protector, not me," Clint said, and Loki almost gagged when the man leaned close to her.

Instead, Loki smiled.

Loki gave him a coy smile, the same smile Darcy had given him before she'd drank herself into oblivion. "Do you really want to be my protector or something else..."

Clint's smirk increased. He paused for a long beat and then sighed as he looked her over. "Jesus, Darcy, you're killing me. You know I can't do anything with you now."

"Why not?" she flirted, rubbing against him. He pushed her away gently.

"Because you're drunk, and you won't remember a thing," he said softly, and then his tone turned humorous. "If anything's going to happen," he said, lightly kissing the top of her nose. "You're damn well going to remember."

"I'll have to hold you to that, Barton," Darcy said, letting out a disappointed sigh, but Loki was partially grateful he wouldn't have to go through something like that - yet. He still had to get used to Darcy's body, and he didn't know how much control he had over her yet. In an unconscious state, sure he had full control, but he'd never possessed a human before, and if Darcy had any of that strong will he knew she had, he would be ready for an internal battle with her.

He wasn't one to be afraid, but he'd like to be cautious, and if Darcy was a strong enough human woman, he could likely kick him out of her body for good. Then, he'd have to start all over again to get to his body back.

No, Loki would take it easy with her. He couldn't waste any more time.

* * *

When Darcy woke up the next day, she felt like she had eaten a hundred dead cats. Plus, she was thirsty, achy, and she had this sneaking suspicion she had an awesome time last night, only that the Gods of Booze had stolen her golden memories in a cruel joke.

Rising from her bed, she realized something was off immediately. Instead of waking up in her luxurious and cozy bed at Stark Tower, she found herself somewhere else. Shit.

But it didn't feel like she'd crashed at someone's house. No. It felt like she was still dreaming.

Her breath still tasted like dead cats, but she was sure as shit dreaming.

"Ah, you're awake, good," a male voice said behind her. Darcy jumped, panicking immediately as she did not recognize the male voice. Even if it was a sexy British voice, she still got Stranger-Danger vibes.

Spinning around, she met his green eyes in this weird dreamy white space, and she could feel her whole body go numb as she recognized him. Flushing instantly, her gaze swept over him quickly and she tried to halt the instant attraction she had for the villain to no avail.

Holy shit it was Loki, Thor's evil brother!

"Ah! Did I sleep with you? I'm sorry, dude. Really, it meant nothing. Tequila and I don't get along and I..." She clutched the phantom blankets to her chest and looked down. She wasn't clutching blankets, but she was thankfully dressed...in a white robe? No, wait. She thought of something more appropriate, like her Star Trek t-shirt and blue jeans, and in an instant she was wearing them.

"Whoa!"

"If you haven't already guessed, this is not a dream but rather we are inside your mind," Loki explained. He stood sitting regally on a green Cleopatra couch that seemed to be floating among heavenly clouds around their feet.

"We...?" Suddenly it dawned on her at what he said. "What do you mean we are in my mind?"

Loki grinned evilly at her. "I do apologize for the inconvenience, mortal, but I'm afraid I've taken possession of your body."

Darcy gaped at him. "You're …hitchhiking in my body!"

"Indeed," he said simply, which infuriated her.

"Get your own damn body!" she said petulantly, and she didn't know how it happened, but she had conjured up a pillow in her mind and flung it at him. Effortlessly, he moved to the side and avoided the impact. He continued to smirk.

"I would if All-Father had not destroyed it, so I believe I'll take yours. It will prove useful until you can help me get my body back."

"Hell no! Go find someone else stupid enough to help you! I want you out!" she screamed at him, and she saw the uncomfortable twist of his lips and wrinkle in his brow after she roared at him. Did her anger have some effect on him? Was he fighting her?

Feeling strangely sleepy again, Darcy felt her body numb, as if she was being drugged. She slumped back down in the amorphous white space onto something as fluffy as a cloud. Did he hold some spell on her? Loki was known for using magic as his main power; she had snooped that much from his file one time, and if it were true, then she was royally fucked.

But she wouldn't go on without a fight. It was her body after all.

She glared up at him as he approached her, and as he got closer, she cursed herself for admiring how tall he was, and how unnaturally handsome. She bit on her lip and frowned as he smirked at her.

"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter, Ms. Lewis. Your body is mine, and you will not get it back until you help me retrieve my own, which has been wrongfully taken and destroyed," he warned.

"And if I don't help you get your body back?" Darcy asked, mustering all the energy she could to fight his numbing spell.

"Then I'm afraid I'll take your body over completely and keep it forever," he said.

"And me? What about me?" she asked desperately, already knowing she wasn't going to like his answer.

"Ah, you mean your soul. Well, that I can't be sure of," he said. "I have never taken possession of a mortal's body before, so I gather if you're not strong enough to share this body with me, the weaker soul will eventually fade away. You'll be gone forever," he said. His voice although calm, seemed like a scratching of nails on her bones.

"You can't do this, you creep! Get the hell out of my body right now!" she yelled, leaping up and wishing she had her taser. Instead, she made a fist and clocked him on the cheek. Startled, he stepped back, clutching the phantom wound. Apparently, within this space of her mind, she couldn't hurt him. She couldn't even make him bleed.

He looked momentarily startled by her actions, and then his lips thinned as he glowered at her. "Very well, I hear your take on the matter. Perhaps I should convince you of my power over your body, and then you'll be more cooperative." Darcy's mouth gaped. She caught the mischievous glint in his green eyes and she knew he was planning something, something she was sure she wouldn't like.

"Wait...What...What are you going to do?" Darcy sputtered at him.

"You will see," he said, spinning around, and when she blinked, all she saw was a fading green and black dust spiral as he departed, leaving her in the all-consuming white mist.


	4. Influence

The Flip Side

Chapter Four: Influence

Darcy blinked open her eyes again. She still felt out of place, like she was dreaming, and she knew very well deep in her gut that Loki was still in control of her body and doing god-knows-what with it in the real world.

Instead she was stuck here, inside her mind. As the white mist cleared, Darcy wasn't sure exactly where she was, and she knew of no place of this in her mind, no memory and certainly no desire to come here.

She turned her head, soaking in the atmosphere of the unknown place and realized she was speechless at how lovely it was. Paradise, one could call it, with rolling green hills, serene blue skies dotted with fluffy clouds, and clear pools of water running along the shallow edge of a river. Curious, she headed toward the river and looked down into the crystal clear stream and saw her reflection ripple before her. Fish lazily bobbed by, swimming away quickly as if they sensed her presence.

As the ripple stilled, Darcy saw her reflection transform and change. A dull yellow light glowed on the surface of the water and seemed to reach out to another place, as if she were watching TV instead of the surface of a river.

In this other reflection, Darcy saw herself, moving and going about her normal work shift at S.H.I.E.L.D. Her jaw tightened as she realized what she was witnessing.

Loki. He was using her body to do her job, and suddenly, sound muffled through the reflection and she could hear everything too.

Sinking down against the river's edge, Darcy rested her face on her palms and watched, feeling the cramp in her neck already form. Ignoring the ache, she became engrossed in the movie of her own life, as Loki played it out.

Birds chirped in the sky behind her and animals scuttled around the forming forest on the other side of the river. Darcy paid them no mind. She was more interested in Loki, wearing her body as nothing more than a dress, approached Clint Barton.

She sucked in a heavy breath.

* * *

Loki was no stranger to seducing men. Hell, he was no stranger to seducing animals, but that was a story for another time.

Clint Barton approached him sheepishly, and he knew this would be a conversation on Darcy's health and if she blamed him for getting her drunk the night before.

Apparently, the S.H.I.E.L.D agent was still hoping to bed Darcy Lewis, and Loki could sense it all over him.

In her form, he smiled at Clint. "Agent Barton," she said formally, winking him.

"Ah, Darcy, you okay?" Clint asked simply, and Loki could tell that Clint was sweeping his eagle-eyes all over her, stopping at her breasts momentarily before resting on her big, wondrous eyes.

"A little woozy," Darcy said, which was partly true. Loki was still getting used to having a human body and all its little quirks. "But nothing Advil couldn't cure," she answered, and Loki was grateful he'd heard her say the phrase before, since he still had no idea what Advil was.

"Good," Clint said, seemingly satisfied. Darcy parted at him, leaning closer, and Loki saw Clint tense.

"I do remember a little bit though. I remember we have unfinished business," she said, and Clint looked mildly uncomfortable as she dared to bring up the subject at work. Looking around, Loki searched out Nick Fury or anyone else that might find the conversation a little inappropriate. Finding no onlookers, Darcy met Clint's eyes. He smiled slightly.

"Yes, I believe we do. I was applying for the position as your protector," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I believe Steve is unqualified. I think you should fire him."

Loki laughed with Darcy's throaty sound. "We'll see about that," she said, turning to work away from him.

"Darcy," he said, stopping her. She froze, turning around and meeting his curious eyes with a confident smile.

"Yes?"

"There's something different about you today," he said, looking her up and down. Loki tensed, wondering if his cover would be this easily blown. "New makeup?"

Darcy smirked. "Oh, yeah," she said nonchalantly, and Loki realized that he did change up Darcy's look a bit since taking over, hoping for a more stunning reaction from the males that she worked with and who seemed to care about her. He darkened her eyeliner, found tighter black shirts to wear to work when he knew she'd hidden most of her useful assets under baggy sweaters and quirky hats. She did not wear a hat today, but she did manage to walk around in tall boots over skin tight suede pants that accentuated her curves. Her black top, though long sleeved, was form fitting except for the sleeves that tapered with some loose material at the cuffs. The V that slid over her breasts was another advantageous design element of the shirt, one that Clint Barton's eyes could barely get enough of.

"Uh, yeah, the black really...works," he said with a nervous cough, and he made a quick farewell with his hand and headed back to work briskly as he caught Fury's eye. Darcy spotted Fury who was watching her from a console, his hands behind his back as he peered at Clint and then to her with a tight frown. He stared at her for a moment, and remembering how Darcy feared Fury, Loki resisted the urge to wink at him. Instead, he feigned embarrassment and dashed away.

Clint Barton found Darcy alone later, though, as Loki believed he would. She was heading out of the office, grabbing one of the S.H.I.E.L.D cars back to Stark Tower as Clint grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "I'll give you a ride," he said, and Loki raised one of her eyebrows, and he couldn't let the words escape as he reacted.

"No doubt," she told him in Loki's manner, but the quip seemed to please Barton. He about dragged her to his vehicle, a fine looking motorcycle painted with lightening purple stripes. Loki admitted he'd love to steal the thing and take it for a ride.

Jumping on the back of his bike, he handed her a helmet but didn't take one for himself. He zipped through traffic back to the mansion, barely obeying traffic laws and encountering a few close calls with larger vehicles just for the thrill, Loki imagined.

Slowing down at the mansion, he left the bike to some servant who took it from him and hauled it off to the garages, presumably. Clint took her elbow and drew her past the security as they headed inside, toward the pool. "Want a drink?" he asked with a toothy smile.

Loki could feel the impatience rolling off Barton. Still, somewhere in this body Darcy's consciousness was aware of what was happening, and Loki knew the girl had desired this Clint Barton. He was practically in the palm of her hands already, here and now, and Loki knew that if he sealed the deal, gave Barton what he wanted, Darcy would know his influence, that he could take her body and do whatever he wanted with her life.

Then, she would cooperate, and the sooner she did, the sooner he'd get his body back.

He would waste no energy fighting her spirit to keep control of her body. Instead, he would control the people around her, make them think it was her, and she would know that anything he did with her face, with her desires, he could ruin all of it if he so chose.

Darcy spun to Barton with a coy grin. "Do you really want a drink, or something else?" She tapped a button on his shirt and pulled her fingers away. Clint swallowed uncomfortably as he watched her, desire already brimming in his eyes. She tried to step away, but he caught her, his strong arm around her back as he pushed her against the wall.

"As you said, we have unfinished business," he bit out in a tight whisper. She giggled.

"Someone's in a hurry," she said, and Loki began to feign indifference, stalling him, making him sweat as he waited. "Maybe I will have a drink."

Suddenly, Barton's heated breath was over her, and he crushed his lips to hers, no longer waiting and no longer playing games. Pity, Loki would have loved to string him along longer, but he was delighted at the power Darcy's body had over this poor fool.

He supposed if he bedded Barton as Darcy there was nothing he probably wouldn't do for her. Would he give her his trust and let her ask him anything? Would he overlook her hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D's systems for any files on how to get to Asgard?

Darcy returned his kiss, fisting her hands into his hair and drawing him close. His hands traced over the back of her thighs, pulling at her, and Loki was sure the man would draw her up so she could wrap her legs around him.

Pulling away from the kiss, Loki planned to withdraw. After all, this was only a test to show Darcy still inside this body that he could manipulate and control her life if he wanted to. He would show her that he could take her Clint Barton and with her body, he could make him do anything he wanted.

"Wait, stop," she said, letting out a heavy breath. She whispered. "Not here."

Barton all but panted like a dog, nodding as he took her hand and drew her to the bedrooms on the second floor. Heading toward his bedroom, Darcy fell in step.

"Ah, good fellows, I am glad to see you here," said a recognizable voice behind him, which made them both freeze in their tracks on the steps.

"Thor," Darcy said, as Loki knew his own brother's voice better than anyone else's.

"Darcy and ah, Clint Barton, my good friends," he said with a cheery smile. Loki was surprised to see his brother this happy, but he knew the magnitude of what the Avengers meant to him, especially when they were all getting along and saving people. "I was wondering if you had seen either Tony Stark or Jane Foster? I require their assistance," he said, and the mention of both super smart mortals piqued Darcy's interest.

"Ah..." Darcy started, but Clint spoke first.

"Oh, yeah, Dr. Foster and Tony were back at S.H.I.E.L.D working on some important research, the wormhole to your world," Barton said casually, and he smiled. "Looks like Foster is making great progress with it. Soon you'll have another way to get home, Thor."

"Aye, tis good news indeed. All-Father has said the Bifrost is still weak from repair so other alternative methods would be more suitable. I cannot travel home as much because of it, but I trust in Jane Foster and Tony Stark, and I know they will find a solution," Thor said, and Darcy jumped forward, leaving Clint's side for the moment.

"Thor, if there's anything I can do for you," Darcy said, giving him her most innocent look and placing a hand on his large forearm. Thor looked down at the intimate touch, and he seemed to feel the compassion in the girl's eyes. His expression warmed and he placed a hand over Darcy's.

"Ah, Darcy, you are such a good friend, and I am honored for your offer of help. Anything you can do to help Jane will make me happy," he said, and his smile seemed to glow all over his face. Loki felt himself inwardly cringe, wanting to gag.

Instead, he shot his brother a nervous smile through Darcy's full lips. "Okay," she said simply, and demurely walking away as Thor watched her. Loki read the quick expression of jealousy on Clint's face, and he inwardly cheered.

The pieces of this chessboard were so predictable. Darcy Lewis, a common intern, had the loyalty of his brother Thor and the attentions of one of the top S.H.I.E.L.D officers. In one day he had secured his influence over them, and he knew he had made the right choice.

Darcy Lewis was the perfect host, and maybe, if things went well, he wouldn't have to wait too long to get his body back. Until then, he'd enjoy himself in this mortal female form.

* * *

"What the hell, asshole!" Darcy charged at him as he returned to the paradise river and forest where he left her. Darcy jumped up and stormed after him, pounding on his chest with her angry fists.

He stopped her, grabbing her arms and calming her down. He arched an eyebrow as if to say "I told you so" and lightly dropped her arms.

She pulled away furiously, pacing around him like a scorned cat.

"What the hell are you doing? Seducing Clint and sweet-talking Thor?" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Stay away from them! Clint is my man, and Thor...Thor's with Jane and it makes me really uncomfortable that you even think about seducing him too!"

"You know what I am thinking?" he asked amused.

"Dude, really? I can feel everything you feel as you interact with them! We're connected in here!" She blew out an exasperated breath. "Shit, you don't even know how to possess someone!"

Loki felt a rise of irritation. She was partly right. "It is of no consequence. I only did those things to show you that I am the one in control. Whatever you feel, for me, for Clint, for Thor...It's all mine now. I control it, and you have no say in the matter."

"My feelings for...you?" she said, paling. "How...Hey! Those reactions are purely physical and may I remind you, private? Plus, I care about Clint. You're just..." She paused and looked at him, warring with her thoughts. "You're a dick."

Loki laughed. "Your words do not match your thoughts, dear girl." He clucked a tongue at her. "I was hoping that your feelings for me would make you more pliable to help with my plans," he said, circling around her. She tensed as she felt his breath over her shoulder, and she found it odd that even in this dreamscape she could react to such closeness.

"Dream on," she muttered, spinning around at him. "And stop messing with Clint!"

"If he can get me what I want, I will bed him with your body, and you cannot stop me," Loki said.

"You don't even care that you're messing with my feelings in all this, do you?"

"Of course I care; it is the reason I control your body from this point on," Loki said, leaning toward her and taking a tendril of her hair in between two fingers. He looked down at her, his eyes cascading over every angle of her body. "I must admit, even I underestimated your appeal when I first laid eyes on you. It's deceptive at first; an awkward girl almost invisible to the rest of the world. Yet if you get close," he said, stepping toward her, so close she could feel his breathing on her nose. "Yes, the large eyes...the full lips, and …" His gaze swept to her breasts, and she almost felt naked under his scrutiny. She willed herself to wear clothes, fighting with him if she needed to. "Your body is deceptively powerful too. I can appreciate that."

"What do you really want? Huh? So you can use me to control Clint and Thor. Use me... to take what you want." She paused, her voice turning shaky. "What do you need me to do?"

After a heavy pause, Loki began, pacing around the dreamlike paradise. "My brother mentioned Jane Foster's research to reach Asgard without need of the Bifrost. Thor's testimony confirms that after I destroyed the Bifrost, repairs to it have been slow, and I am certain that it's still fragile. He cannot go back to Asgard when he wants anymore. Essentially, my brother is stuck here, and knowing how vigilantly Jane Foster has worked to bring him back through her wormhole, I am certain I can use one of these same wormholes can bring me back to my body."

"Why did you even leave Asgard in the first place? Couldn't you take a body there?" Darcy asked petulantly.

"I considered it, but if you know my brother, than you know an Asgardian is not easy to control. I would have been flung from another Asgardian's mind faster than I entered. A mortal's mind is more pliable, weaker. Besides, I was escaping for my life. I could not stay around Asgard when the All-Father's magicians were there to entrap me," he said, and he realized he may have told her too much. Did it matter? He wondered if he'd let the mortal survive after he had no more use of her body as a vessel.

"But if you're on the run, why go back?" she asked, and he was becoming tired of her questions. He made a pause to not respond, and she glared at him. "Look, if I'm going to help you, can you at least tell me what I need to do and why? How the hell am I supposed to help you if you don't tell me anything?"

"True," he said. "I need your body to research some spells first, to counterattack the All-Father's circle of healers and enchanters. I need a spell that will revive my body quicker, and one that will be stronger than the original spell cast upon it."

"You think you can do that here?" Darcy asked in disbelief.

"There is magic on Midgard I had considered researching, and I have begun so, but I need a body to do these things. It is quite hard to read and flip pages and interact with other Midgardians for information if I have no body. And a female body can be more...persuasive," he said, glancing at her breasts again.

"Ew, stop that!" she said, covering herself, and he stepped toward her, his hands over her crossed arms.

"You say that, mortal, but the moment I take over your body again, I may touch them all I want," he said challengingly.

"You know this body possession thing is a lot like rape," she said, stinging him. "Trickster, liar, murderer and villain - that's just part of the list of names S.H.I.E.L.D calls you. I guess now you can add rapist to the list."

Loki paled, barely regaining his composure before he replied to her. "A pity, Darcy. I was hoping that after that moment with Barton and Thor, you would be more cooperative. There is no need to continue these games or these pointless barbs."

"Isn't there?" she asked. "It's not your body that's stolen. It's not your life that's been taken away against your will!"

Her words cut deep because, indeed, his body had been taken against his will and destroyed. He hated to feel empathy for Darcy, but he needed her too much.

Loki would forgive her the anger for now. He only hoped that he could use her enough to be rid of her. He did not know if he could handle her headstrong mouthiness for much longer.


	5. String of Memories

The Flip Side

Chapter Five: String of Memories

Time flowed endlessly throughout her mind, and Darcy never really knew what time it was, or how many hours or days had passed. Loki used to visit her more when her body was sleeping and getting its rest, but after their argument about Clint and Thor (and Darcy calling him a rapist) Loki did not seek out her consciousness again.

Now, she was bored.

Sometimes she would watch her life in the reflection of the clear river, but soon she realized that Loki had allowed her to see that of his own accord, and sometimes he would shut off visuals to her world, and she didn't know what was going on. It was frustrating, and Darcy assumed Loki was up to no good, or doing his magic research as he intended.

There was nothing much for her to do than wander around this strange dreamlike world. Upon exploration, Darcy assumed this wasn't even Earth anymore, and she had a theory that Loki had trapped her in a visual space in what only he knew - Asgard.

She walked and walked, followed the river and then sought out strange animals that scurried out of her path. She'd observed trolls fighting one another, and sometimes she even encountered people in the distance - strong, Viking-like people that talked of tales as they walked toward future battles, and bragged about defeating this foe or that.

Soon, Darcy realized this was nothing more than a looping memory of Loki's. She couldn't interact with anyone, and though the animals seemed to react to her, upon further study they didn't when she was able to run her hand through a slumbering hare.

Darcy marched her way down a rather steep hill, seeing the large looming walls that encased a gilded, esoteric palace in the distance. A glittering rainbow bridge darted from its gates and seemed to encase the entire sky as it shot out in the distance of watery clouds.

The hill steeped upward, and Darcy followed the noises of children as her boredom began to set in. She didn't even feel tired after all the walking, and she hoped that she'd actually feel something other than boredom in this plane.

When she finally saw the children playing on the hill within the castle gates, she watched as they ran around large topiaries in the garden labyrinths. They were giggling and crying out to each other, daring the others to a game of find and catch. Two little boys and a young girl spread out, searching for their own hiding places.

"No fair, Thor," cried the young girl. She was gorgeous with blonde hair as golden as the sun. She pouted at the cheeky blond boy. "You cheated! You watched where I went."

"Your hiding place was poorly thought Lady Sif! It was easy to find you," he boasted confidently.,

"I swear there was a larger bush there. I swear!" Sif said defiantly, and a young boy clad in green came out smiling wickedly from the shadows. Sif saw him in the corner of her eye and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You! Loki, you're the one that removed the bush I was hiding from so Thor could find me! Trickster!"

The boy was calm, even back then, Darcy mused. He met Sif's angry eyes with calm jubilation. "Why, Lady Sif, I do not know what you mean. You must be mistaken and had hid behind a smaller bush."

She harrumphed, stomping away. "I don't want to play anymore! I'm going to go sword fight with Fandral!"

They watched her leave and Thor through a scolding glance to his brother. "You did not need to scare her off, brother. We were having a good time."

Loki's smile fell into a frown, and he scowled. "I was only having a bit of fun. Plus, she always wins! It's so boring."

Thor did not seem pleased, even as a young boy, toward Loki's antics. Darcy could sense Thor's initial affection for the young girl Sif, and he did not like that Loki sabotaged their moment. She also could sense how much Loki's brother truly affected him, and as the memory faded, more replaced it like a projector film before her eyes.

She saw Loki further antagonize poor Lady Sif, cutting her golden hair and then having to redeem himself by returning to her with new black hair, which wasn't quite as appealing but at least the poor woman wasn't bald! Lady Sif seemed too wary of Loki after that, and the two never did regain the friendship they'd had once as kids.

Darcy could feel Loki's jealousy in that, in the way that Sif regarded Thor.

There were many more adventures she'd witnessed. Thor had always been the muscle, and the victor, where Loki was more of an agent of the shadows.

She saw his interactions with Frigga, his mother, and the All-Father, and how he regarded Loki compared to Thor. The great Odin had always shown preference to Thor, and it was obvious. _No wonder Loki had a complex against his brother,_ Darcy thought.

She wouldn't say that Loki didn't love his brother. He did, and there were many a times in his memories Loki showed an emotional weakness over his expression when he was faced with betraying his brother or fulfilling his nefarious plans. Usually, his rage took over, a darkness he let build inside him since he'd known he was the second son, and then later, the adopted son of the Frost Giants and taken as more than a trophy by the All-Father and raised to be his son.

No. Loki would never be ruler of Asgard. He would never be equal to Thor or even to Odin. And it burned him to the core.

He had darkness and light, weaknesses and strengths, but Darcy wouldn't change her mind about him that he wasn't a villain. Things just weren't black and white with him.

Finally, when she encountered his last memory of the All-Father, taking him prisoner and destroying his body, Darcy felt her gut tighten as she witnessed Loki's helplessness, his desperation. So he truly did know what it felt like to have his body taken without his will.

_Doesn't mean he has the right to take mine,_ she thought derisively, but she at least understood his plans better, and she could empathize with his motivation.

It also told her that Loki didn't really want to keep her body. He just needed her until he could get his own back, and despite his silver-tongued threats, she knew now he wouldn't keep it once she helped him.

And maybe, after seeing all of this, she would help him. It would benefit them both, right?

* * *

Loki had spent many weeks looking up all forms of Midgardian magic to reverse his spell. He'd piled over books in dusty libraries, in basements in libraries and even in historical records museums when he could sneak his way past guards.

He had also managed to manipulate teleportation in Darcy's body, something he wasn't sure he could do without breaking her body into a million bloody pieces through each jump. Still, he kept her together, making sure not to consume liquid or food before he did it, and he was able to jump to Norway and Sweden where he was sure most Norse magical mysteries still dwelled.

Finding plenty of options, he compiled his notes and started working on writing out a spell and collecting the ingredients he needed. Most ingredients he needed were still on Asgard, and he became more impatient as he realized how tantamount it was for him to be there and not here.

Which meant he needed to get to his body on Asgard more than ever, and it meant gaining Darcy's cooperation.

Truthfully, he had been avoiding her. He knew that she was a headstrong human, tactless and crude sometimes, he never imagined how much it would bother him that she'd call him a rapist. He was borrowing her body, not defiling her...or was he? He thought on the matter, and he didn't like the conclusions that he'd come up with.

If that was the way she saw him, he'd have an even harder time gaining her trust and help to retrieve his body.

So, he supposed he'd have to be nicer to her, even though the idea pained him. He didn't like being nice to any human, and moreover, he felt he didn't have to.

But this was a special situation. Darcy Lewis was the only human he could be nice to because he knew that he needed her.

* * *

She was sitting on a hillside, gazing over the refracting rainbow bridge that shot out from the palace. She watched the clouds roll by like tides and her eyes lifted skyward to the winking stars.

"It's beautiful here," she said solemnly, when she saw him approach her. She didn't realize he'd come back or that he was even searching her out after all this time. She still felt mad at her for leaving her here without a word, among other things, but there was something about the calm Asgardian atmosphere that put her at ease. She turned her face up to him with a smile. "This is where you grew up?"

"Yes," he said simply, sitting next to her on the hill. She glanced at him, taking in his royal Asgardian clothes, the same ones he wore in one of the more recent memories of joining Thor and the Warriors in the dining hall. He wore a high collared leather trench coat with green accents, a complimenting vest that wrapped around his svelte frame, and plain charcoal pants that tucked into high, imposing leather boots. His hair was slicked back, and he looked princely here, and Darcy wished she could even imagine some of the clothes the women wore here for her own, feeling too audacious to even dare adorn herself with some of the things Lady Sif wore in his memories.

Though knowing it would touch a nerve with him, Darcy said what the hell, and did so.

"That is lovely," Loki said appreciatively, watching as her common T-shirt and jeans changed to Sif's familiar battle gear. Darcy grinned at him.

"I'm feeling less out of place now," Darcy said beaming.

"Red doesn't really suit you. I see you more in black, green and gold," he said, and her appearance changed again. Darcy jumped up in surprise. Pointy, gold horns adorned her head like a crown, and she stared down at her breasts almost busting out of a green bodice wrapping her shape over skin tight green pants and a gold belt that held a billowing black sash in the back and front. She peaked over her shoulder and admired the black cape flowing in the breeze.

"Whoa!" She turned to him with wide eyes, noticing her glasses were gone too. She could only imagine the make-up on her face. "I look like a female you," she accused, and Loki smirked.

"Your body fits this perfectly. As I said, Sif's clothes do not suit you," he said.

She crossed her arms. "By the way, where you have you been? What have you been up to? Don't tell me you seduced Clint again! Oh my god, my life is ruined now," she fretted.

Loki held up a hand. "Relax, mortal. I did nothing. As I mentioned, I needed your body to do research on a spell, plus...a way back to Asgard."

Darcy felt cold. "You... you mean you're going to go after Thor again. And Jane."

Loki's eyes hardened like stone. "I must. They are the only way."

"You can't hurt them. You can't make them think..." The words caught in her throat, and anger shot through her core. How did she ever think she could sympathize with him? He was going to use her body to get to them! Who knew what he could do, what he was capable of.

Loki was no friend of hers, and though he was being considerably nice to her, she couldn't trust him.

And she felt like a fool for even thinking she could learn to like him, that despite his nature, he could really be good.

She hated herself even more that after exposure to his memories, Darcy's physical reaction to Loki grew into something else, something akin to intrigue and affection.

Quickly, she darted her attention away from him as he stared at her, hoping to quell her thoughts about him before he noticed. It was too late, and Loki was already inching toward her with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Do you enjoy Asgard, mortal?" His voice was smooth, like an eerie and tantalizing siren's call.

"Did you do this on purpose? Show me your memories?" she asked sharply.

"I wanted you to see my side of the story. You find me evil, a villain...even worse, and yet you do not even know me, nor do you know why I even need your body for this short time," he said.

"It's still wrong. I don't care how cute you were as a kid, it's still wrong," she said.

"Cute?" he repeated, turning to her with intrigue.

"Yeah, completely cute and adorable," she said. "Irresistible. Come on, I saw all the shit your mom let you get away with. Only cute kids can get away with that, especially when you cut that poor girl's hair off."

Loki grinned, his gaze smoking over in memory as he looked ahead. "I was called little devil, but never _cute_."

"Well, you were a little devil too," Darcy said, sitting next to him in the weird costume. She wished it away and back into her regular clothes and she saw Loki frown at her when it came to be. She hugged her knees. "Do you really need to keep me in here for much longer."

He arched an eyebrow. "Will you cooperate with me?"

"I don't know," Darcy said, shooting him a warning look. Loki sighed.

"You do realize what I can do to you in the waking world and as well as inside this space. I could lock you in an Asgardian dungeon in your mind and never return," he said.

"And what about my power? This is my mind, isn't it? I should take you somewhere where I'd like to go!" She closed her eyes and grit her teeth, concentrating. She let out an exaggerated sigh and opened her eyes, but there were still in Asgard, and she was looking into Loki's triumphant eyes, feeling like an idiot.

"Try all you want, Darcy, but you cannot. I told you, I control everything now. Your will, your actions, and your desires, are all mine, and I can keep them for as long as I so choose," he said with absolution. Darcy frowned, fighting back angry tears.

"Huh," she said. "I guess you can."

"Oh come now, Darcy," he said, tracing a finger under her chin and drawing her face back toward his. "You don't entirely hate me. I know this. Deep inside, I can feel everything you feel." She felt herself flush, and suddenly she feared being naked in front of him again, having her emotions and carnal desires exposed.

"Stop...it's not fair," she growled at him, but he was already leading her down into the grass onto her back. He hovered over her, smiling wickedly, threatening things to come - things that she knew he could persuade from her with just a look, just a touch - because her body was that stupid, and her dumb heart - falling for him in those memories just a little bit. Her lips parted, and he leaned closer, hovering over her.

"You bastard," she said, feeling wetness on her cheek as a tear escaped. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and when she closed her eyes, hating her body for wishing he'd deepen it, she felt nothing. Blinking her eyes open, Darcy groaned.

The seductive, scheming bastard was long gone, leaving her alone on the grass, frightened and unsatisfied.


	6. Breakthrough

The Flip Side

Chapter Six: Breakthrough

Curiosity fueled him, and Loki felt that in addition to all the spell magic he'd researched for his counter-spell, he'd take a few more risks with Darcy's body and start snooping around Jane Foster's research.

For the most part, what little information Jane Foster had shown him as Darcy was intriguing, and though the scientist expected Darcy to not know anything about it, Loki played dumb and perused the research anyway. Whenever he'd get a heightened suspicion for anyone who thought she may be way too interested in the research, he flipped Darcy's hair and acted bored, whining about wanting food.

Apparently, that sort of behavior was normal for Darcy and suspicions seemed to fade whenever he made the motion.

Still, there were some things better done on his own, and he'd made several attempts to retrieve Jane Foster's data and find out where they were opening the wormhole on his own, knowing that it was perhaps his only way since other outlets he'd found while in Darcy's body were closed to him. Oh, yes, the All-Father had figured out Loki's backdoor entrances and exits to Asgard, and though he was sure in an Asgardian body he would be able to penetrate the magic, in a human body he had little success. So he relied heavily on Foster's research, as much as he hated to admit it.

Leaving the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters with some success in mind, Loki returned to Stark Tower hoping to give this mortal body some rest after being run dogged today for menial tasks by Fury, and he would find Darcy's consciousness, hoping to finally explain to her the importance of her cooperation.

Looking over his shoulder, Loki checked if there were any eyes on him, any agents lurking in the shadows who were watching him, waiting for the right moment to catch him in the act. Chuckling inwardly, Loki refused to feel foolish for his sensitivity, citing that Darcy's own paranoia and fear toward Nick Fury were starting to seep into his own thoughts.

Upon returning to the Tower, he slipped through the shadows, avoiding the other Avengers in the main living room, talking about strategic plans to infiltrate a group called Hydra, one that Loki was familiar with and wouldn't mind using for his own plans once he retrieved his body back and was made whole again.

Instead he slid softly across the floor back up to his room, when an arm grabbed his from behind and pulled him against a strong chest. Damn! And he was just getting away from Clint Barton! Loki felt he had no more use for the man. The agent turned out to have as much information on Jane's research as Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff, knowledge that Darcy had known herself plus more. The man was no more use to him after Loki had remembered his passwords and codes at a time when Barton didn't suspect that Darcy would care for such things. Loki had already accessed as much as he was able through Clint's secure files, and there was not much more use to them after that.

But as Darcy had implied, Barton was smitten and when she was in control of her own body, she was taken with him.

It made Loki want to hurl, but he had to play up the part.

Clint immediately bent down to kiss her, and she stayed pliant against him, soft and yearning, as he wanted, even though Loki wanted to scream inside.

He pulled away, smiling at Darcy as she rested a hand on his chest and gave him her best, sultry pout. "Hey stranger," she said softly.

"Hey, going to bed so early? How about a night on the town?" he asked her, and Darcy sighed.

"I can't...Do you know how hard Fury and Jane had me working today? I can barely feel my feet," she whined.

"I can carry you, plus...whiskey should clear that right up." He winked at her, and Loki wanted to throw him in a pit of snakes. Instead, he smiled through Darcy's charming lips.

"It's a work night, Clint," she told him.

His brow rose. "It's never stopped you before."

"Wow, the word on the street is true," she said, purring lightly at him and wiggling her brow. "You are a bad influence, Mr. Barton."

"Then..." he said flattered, "Let me walk you to your room." By the twinkle in the archer's eye, Loki knew he wasn't giving up. He could sense the urgency and heat rolling off Barton's body. He saw Clint lick his lips, looking down at her like a piece of meat.

The only thing Loki could think was that Darcy would be so angry with him if he took Clint, just to quit his incessant pestering and drooling all over her. Darcy would probably like to have Clint all on her own, in her right mind, and the thought made Loki frown through Darcy's expression.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, suddenly worried.

"Nothing, it's just... Fury gave me a total migraine today, and I thought I was over it but..."

"Oh, man, he does that. I've been there," Clint said, and he looked concerned yet defeated. He knew he wasn't getting any tonight, and Loki, well, he was relieved - he'd neither betray Darcy's trust nor have to deal with having sex with the man just to get him to stop bothering him. Not that Clint wasn't worth the taste, he imagined, but Loki wasn't in the mood for him, not in this body and probably not ever.

"Rain check?" Darcy pleaded with a wince.

Clint had slid his hand in her hair and smiled with a wink. "For you, babe, anytime."

Darcy grinned at him sheepishly. "Goodnight, protector," she emphasized, and left Clint Barton with a stupid grin on his face.

* * *

Loki found Darcy back in the Asgardian paradise where he'd left her, and she was blowing seeds off a wispy flower, humming to herself.

"Oh, thank God you're here!" she said. "I'm so bored! Can't you transport me to Las Vegas with a million fake dollars to play the slots with? I don't think I can take any more of this rainbow bridge or this peacefulness! Holy shit it's like Disney on crack in here and it's driving me crazy!"

"I was busy, but I do apologize for being late," he said, plopping lightly next to her. "You will be very proud of me though."

"Yeah right," Darcy groaned at him. "As if I could, and I don't approve of kicking puppies so if that's what you were doing all day I'm not happy."

Loki sighed. "I fought off another advance from Clint Barton. He seems very determined to take you to bed."

Darcy stood up, panicking. "Oh my god! You blew him off! He's going to think I'm not interested! Oh my god, oh my god, ohmygod!"

"Wait a minute, girl; first you tell me to leave him alone and you're upset that I brushed him off? Will you mortal women ever make up your minds?" he sneered at her.

"One, no, we will not make up our minds, and two, why can't you just let me have control of my own body when he does that, so then we can do the nasty and I'm satisfied, he's satisfied, and you can take the driver seat again...and do whatever it is you do," Darcy whined.

"Whatever I do is study Jane Foster's research so I can figure out where she's testing her wormhole site and not get caught by S.H.I.E.L.D. I also am trying to perfect my counter spell, which takes time as well," he huffed at her.

"Why don't you just reverse it like they do in Doctor Who all the time, reverse the polarity or something! It always works!" she stormed at him, throwing her hands up in frustration. "HO CRAP, I'm never going to get laid again by a hot guy, never, and it's all thanks to you!" She pointed at him, her finger shaking with rage.

Her anger subsided for a moment when she realized he wasn't paying attention any longer and seemed lost in thought.

"What is it?" she asked, afraid she'd said something that would set him off, forever taking over her body and never letting her get out of this cracked-out Asgardian nightmare ever again.

When he looked up, Loki was smiling. "You may have actually said something worthwhile, mortal. I knew you were clever, and this... this is perhaps a fluke but ...you may be correct."

"Correct, about what?" she asked, frowning as she was stupefied by what he was talking about.

"Reversing the spell. Unbinding the binding! Of course! Why did I not see it before? Perhaps I was blind, thinking that Odin's magic was too all-powerful that it could not be undone, but his magic is not in the spell! The spell belongs to those hack enchanters, only boosted by Odin's scepter as a catalyst! Oh you silly, marvelous girl!" he said, jumping at her and grabbing her, pulling her close in his excitement, laughing against her skin as he took her lips into his. He kissed her noisily, leaving her bewildered and flushed.

"If I destroy the scepter, I can easily reverse that spell, and I'll have my body back in no time. The effects will be undone, and my body will grow back quicker than ever before," he said, and he still held her, looking down her with appreciation. "You have done more than prove your usefulness mortal, and I will reward you kindly for it if you help me in one last trial."

"Help you? Reward?" she stammered, still bemused by his jubilant kiss stinging on her lips.

"Yes, not only will you regain your body back, dear girl, you will gain so much more," he said saucily, and he drew her against him again - his body an unexpected warmth mixing with hers. "Come, the next plan comes to fruition. To Asgard, back to my homeland, and there, I will get my body back and cast my revenge on those who betrayed me."

Darcy gaped at him. She didn't know what she did with her "reverse polarity" joke, but she supposed as happy as he was, that it was a good thing, and that it would be possible to finish this whole nightmare become herself again.

She wondered if she should still willingly help Loki, and she feared what he had left in store for her. Whether or not she gave her compliance, she had a feeling he would take what he wanted anyway, with her permission or not.

* * *

Loki was back at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters again, and as he let Darcy see through the crystal cool river again to watch the events play out, she got a bad feeling in the pit of her gut.

Nothing good could come of this. They were at her work after hours with the intent to steal equipment and Jane's research and bump up testing for the new wormhole early, behind any safety tests or other measures.

Plus, they'd have to return to New Mexico, where Thor had first arrived, an apparent weak spot in between their two worlds.

How he was going to lug the equipment out in her short, clumsy body she'd never know, but she was sure Loki would find some way, use magic maybe, to do the deed. She just wished he didn't underestimate S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers.

Surely, someone must sense that she hasn't been herself lately?

He had just downloaded the last of Jane Foster's research and headed down to the secure storage areas in the basement of the facility when she'd heard the alarm. A screaming mechanical cacophony buzzed in her ear as clear as if she were in charge of her own body, and she felt Loki freeze, red-handed in front of the flashing lights pointed in his direction.

In a cool, calm manner Director Nick Fury stood in front of his entourage of men with tranq guns pointed at her.

"Darcy Lewis, now what in the world would an intern be doing down here in a secure area?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, looking for ghosts? Didn't I tell you about my hobby? I'm a ghost hunter now. In training...yeah." She smiled sheepishly, and Darcy could strangle Loki. Fury wasn't going to buy that story in a million years.

"You've been caught," she said, and her words seemed to mirror Fury's.

"But you're not Darcy, are you? She wouldn't know the first thing about hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D operations and downloading sensitive research. She's Foster's assistant, yes, but one of the greatest assets of Darcy at S.H.I.E.L.D is to not know a lot about what we do here. She doesn't know how things work, and so she's basically a perfect employee. She's too ignorant and frankly, she doesn't want to know anything about S.H.I.E.L.D work beyond what she can leak to Facebook - which is why we monitor her activity. Always," he said in a dangerous, threatening tone. "So, if you're not Darcy, who are you? A shapeshifter? A mutant?"

"I am no lowly mutant," Loki told him still in Darcy's form. He began to carry himself differently, something that Fury must have noticed as a brow raised when Darcy put down the equipment and sashayed over to him. "Maybe we can discuss this like mature adults. Just you and me, Fury. Without your drones." Loki spared them a glance before shifting toward Fury's gaze, and Darcy felt her blood run cold as she realized what he was doing. He was trying to seduce Nick Fury with her body!

She was going to puke. Seriously. He was going to pay for that.

If the ghost hunting story didn't work, this certainly wasn't going to work either.

"You idiot," she breathed to Loki, who'd heard her criticism but chose to ignore her.

"I will ask nicely again," Nick Fury said through gritted teeth. "Who are you?"

"Oh, why do you have to be such a stiff, Fury? We can have a lot of fun," she said. Darcy slapped a palm on her forehead inside.

Fury turned to his men, and he nodded. They clicked their guns, pointed at the ready. "She makes any false movement and doesn't answer in 20, take her down."

Darcy gulped. They were going to tranq her. It was kind of ironic, since she appreciated tasing and tranqing people herself. Now she was going to get all juiced up, just because Loki was caught and couldn't magic them out of there.

"Why don't you teleport us out, stupid!" she yelled at him, but Loki only chuckled, confusing the others outside.

"You're going to get caught, Darcy," he said out loud, and Fury put his hand up to stall his men from firing. "You're going to get caught because they can help you, and me too."

"Darcy? Darcy are you in there?" Nick Fury called to her, and if she could yell and scream to him she would. But she couldn't. She could feel Loki pulling back, and it made her pause with distraction. What was he doing? Was he leaving?

He laughed loudly, and she could hear it echo throughout her skull. She glanced to the right in the pool and saw Fury motion to his men. She screamed at the first charge, feeling blackness paint the Asgardian paradise in her head into an inky void.

Before she fell into it, Darcy called out to Loki, reaching out for him as he slithered away from her grasp. He was gone, and he'd let her be captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.

And she knew she had a lot of explaining to do once she awoke.


	7. Sympathy for the Devil

The Flip Side

Chapter Seven: Sympathy for the Devil

When she came too, she was no longer in Asgard, but she was still within her mind. Loki had left her to be taken by S.H.I.E.L.D, caught in the act of betraying S.H.I.E.L.D and stealing equipment and sensitive research. She wasn't capable of such deeds, and she hoped that Nick Fury believed her.

At least he'd already suspected she'd been under the influence of someone else.

Darcy blinked open her eyes, and she realized she may be still in Asgard, but this was not at all like the perfectly blissful meadow and cool river by the hills Loki had imprisoned her. This was an actual prison, and she was bound by snakes, eating at her skin. People in robes chanted in a circle flanked around her, and in front of her, a very large, gray-haired man with one eye and an imposing demeanor approached her. Her bones felt like lead, and she recognized him.

Thor's father. Odin. The All-Father.

His voice seemed distant, like she were underwater, but she had made out some of the words. The pain was still prevalent from the poisonous snakes, but she ignored it so she could hear his charge. He listed out crimes that she was being tried for, crimes of treason, destruction and betrayal.

These weren't her crimes. They were Loki's.

"Please, why are you showing me this?" Her bones were burning, her skin flaking away, seared and hot, melting into black tar onto the stone floor.

She could barely speak, her lips dissolving and she felt so much pain, so much power and energy circling in her gut. But oh, the pain! Her bones! Her body and the stench of her blood and the acid eating away at her flesh!

Her mouth was gone, and she wept, sobbing, wishing the torture would end.

"Do you see, Darcy? Do you see why you must help me?"

She was smoke then. She spoke to him as a spirit, floating about the skeleton that was his body. The pain that he'd endured had become hers.

Darcy couldn't believe he'd gone through that. She'd seen a glimpse of it before, understood it, but she truly did not know how it had affected him until she had felt what he had felt. Was that truly a fair punishment for him? For anyone? Loki had done a lot of vicious, cruel things, but she'd remembered his turn to help the Avengers in the end. She'd felt in his thoughts that he hadn't wanted revenge as so much to create a little havoc, for it was his nature, and a deep-seeded socialization that started the moment Odin took him as a baby from the Frost Giants.

She no way excused all his wrong doings, but she felt sympathy for him. She'd feel sympathy for anyone bound like that with their flesh eaten away from snake venom, only to be reduced to bones as his spirit was meant to be imprisoned in a scepter for thousands of years. And then, Odin would let him out.

Or would he?

"Good girl, you understand. The All-Father has lied before. He has kept secrets. He has done what he has thought best in that moment," Loki said. "I wanted you to see."

She blinked back tears, shocked she could cry at all, and she looked down at her hands, trembling yet whole again. Loki stood by her side, a grave expression on his face.

"I need your help to return to Asgard. S.H.I.E.L.D has you, but you must convince my brother to take responsibility for me. Tell him I will not leave you until I am home. Do you understand? It's the only way I can get back my body," Loki said.

Darcy nodded, and she reached to wipe away tears, but Loki stopped her, wiping them away for her. She met his deep malachite eyes, clear with purpose with only a tinge of darkness.

She sighed. "Ok. I'll help you."

She would, for her body's sake, and for his.

* * *

"As I've told you, it's Loki, and he took my body when I got drunk with the guys one night and he's been using my body ever since," Darcy said, her eyes shifting uncomfortably from Fury, Thor, and Jane. She sort of wished Clint and Natasha were here so she could explain that it wasn't her that had interacted with them, but she figured this was a more pressing matter, and maybe she would do damage control with them for another time.

At least, S.H.I.E.L.D agents would be debriefed later about it, after they handled the situation, whatever that was going to be.

"You say my brother refuses to leave?" Thor asked, concerned. Darcy could tell within his stormy blue eyes he didn't like the problem to be because of his brother, and she could already see him doing just as Loki predicted, feeling responsible for his brother's mischief.

"Yeah, he's trying to get home, Thor. Didn't you know? They captured your brother and Odin put a spell on him, destroying his body! He only came to Earth to escape, and he thought the best place to come was here, at S.H.I.E.L.D." Darcy paused. "Close to you."

Thor's lips pressed in a thin line as he studied her, the thoughts twirling frenetically in his head. After a pause, he turned to Fury and made his decision. "Release Darcy's custody into mine. This is not a S.H.I.E.L.D problem, or even a Midgard problem. It is mine, and I will ask my father about what to do with her and Loki possessing her body."

Nick Fury straightened, trying to level with the mammoth Asgardian god. "Can you believe what she's saying? What if Loki has lied to her? You know how he is."

"Aye, he has told many great lies. My brother is an expert," Thor said, yet he remained determined. "Whatever the truth, my brother has possessed this mortal, and there is no telling the damage he will do to her. I do believe this is my father's problem regardless of his imprisonment of my brother."

"So you didn't even know he was going to capture your brother?" Jane asked, her hands shaking as she still tried to grasp the situation. Darcy could tell that her friend was worried about her, and it warmed her heart to know that Jane cared so much.

"I have been absent from Asgard for a while because travel has been difficult. However, my father has more power, and thus he could come to Midgard all he wanted if Loki were here. He could do so easily as any place. He has used the same methods to travel back and forth to Jotenheim as well." Thor inhaled a heavy breath and frowned at Darcy. "I do believe he had something to do with it. Whether or not my brother spoke the truth to Darcy is another matter, and I will find out the truth once I confront my father."

"Hey, how are you able to talk to Loki anyway if he's possessing you?" Jane asked, scrutinizing Darcy. Nick Fury and Thor seemed interested in that notion as well.

Darcy felt put on the spot and said, "Uh...he kept me within one of his memories, and he'd visit me when he'd let my body sleep. I...learned a lot about him while in there. Well, mostly it was boring but he wanted to show me that he needed my help. He...he was an ass at first but lately he's been desperate, so he's been nicer. I asked him to leave you, Thor, and Clint alone and he did. I was afraid of what he'd do to you guys if he had the chance."

"Such as?" Jane asked.

"Did he ever tell you what he would do to me and Clint Barton?" Thor asked, and immediately Darcy flushed.

"Well, okay, times up, can I go now?" Darcy evaded, and Jane shot her a look.

"Darcy, just tell us," she said.

"Um, you really don't want to know," her assistant winced.

They stared at her like she had two heads, waiting.

She sighed uncomfortably. "Okay, okay, he was going to seduce you. Both of you, if he thought he could get something from you. And don't look at me like that, it's embarrassing enough."

"My brother was going to seduce me?" Thor's face turned ruddy. "I cannot believe this..."

"Really, Thor? Is that so out of his character if he wants something?" Darcy chided him, and Thor's gaze fell from hers, as he appeared slightly guilty.

"Anyway, he didn't. Thankfully Jane's research was enough to steer him off that course," Darcy said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, thankfully," Jane huffed, looking protectively to Thor. Darcy inwardly groaned, wishing Loki was still in her head so they could laugh at Jane together. As if Darcy could ever steal Thor from Jane.

And she wasn't about to tell Jane about Sif, which was another deal altogether.

"So, am I free to go or what?" Darcy asked, feeling impatient within the S.H.I.E.L.D interrogation room. She told them everything she knew, so they really couldn't keep her here that much longer, could they? Even if she was sort of harboring a ghostly fugitive in her mind.

She pouted.

"We'll work out the transport details with Thor, and then you will go with him," Fury said. "Sit tight and he'll get you."

"Then?"

"Then we go to Asgard, Darcy, and we talk to All-Father. He will know what to do," Thor said, bearing the responsibility of her readily.

Darcy only hoped that Odin was as willing to help her with this Loki problem as Thor was.

* * *

"I cannot help her," the All-Father said on his throne. He peered down at Darcy with fierce scrutiny that she thought she was going to pee her pants out of fear of him. He looked monstrous, more than imposing, and also, ready to break her in half with those large meaty hands of his.

"But Father, this is consequence of your failing. You tried to imprison my brother and failed, letting his ghost take this mortal's body," Thor said, anger apparent in his tone as he challenged his father.

The voices of both men thundered loudly in the throne room, and in the corner of her eye, she saw the Warriors Three as they had been when they arrived that day in New Mexico. Lady Sif, with her coal black hair, looked at her curiously, but when their eyes met, she averted them to the ground out of respect for Odin like everyone else.

"Then, the girl must die to bring Loki out. I see no other way," Odin said, and Darcy tensed.

"No! Darcy is my friend, Jane's friend, and they are both important to me. You will not harm her; I have promised her my protection!" Thor said, and Darcy felt a little better knowing the big guy had her back.

"Very well, then she must live with Loki within her until he decides to surface. I have a prison waiting for him when he comes to his senses," Odin said.

"Comes to his senses?" Darcy burst out, and Thor turned to her, aghast that she had spoken so loudly and rudely to Odin. Odin seemed intrigued. "You destroyed my body! You tortured me, and you said it was all to pay for my crimes! The punishment did not fit the crimes! Not after all I have repent!"

"Loki..." Thor breathed out, and in Darcy's body, Loki turned to his brother.

"Fool, did you really think Father was going to bend his will to help a mortal, let alone his adopted son!" Loki spun around and the Warriors and Lady Sif stood at attention. Odin made no motion in his throne, but his eyes glared daggers at Loki as he paced around. He approached the All-Father and pointed a finger at him.

"Until I get my body back I will not release this girl, so I ask you one last time, old man, will you help the mortal girl known as Darcy Lewis, or will you do nothing and damn her forever with my presence?" Loki accused, but Odin stood silent, weighing his sharp words.

"Father," Thor said expectantly at Odin, wanting an answer for his friend as well.

"No. I will not help the girl. Guards! Take the mortal girl and restrain her," Odin said.

"No!" Thor yelled, reaching for Loki as he spun around, grinning maniacally at them all. He met Odin's eyes and laughed.

"I thought so, Father," he sneered, and hands reached for him, but they only disrupted a mirror reflection of Darcy's body. Teleporting out of there, Loki was way ahead of them, retreating to the shadows of the palace as Asgardian soldiers marched through the halls in the hunt for him.

As their footsteps dissipated down the corridors, Loki poked his head out of the dark shadow and grinned as candlelight glinted on his face. He'd hidden in the laundry room and had found it storing a multitude of Asgardian female armor and Valkyrie attire. Dressing into something more fitting of a female version of himself, the same sort of costume he'd dressed up Darcy in her dream, Loki strode through the dimensional refuges of Asgard, the ones he'd created in shadow when he was a boy. The places only he'd know about.

He found his old study room, and he poured over his familiar dusty books and lit a candle so he could read. Soon, he'd perfect that reversal spell, destroy that blasted scepter and get his body back.

Revenge for Odin would come later; he promised, but first he had to come whole again. First, he had to take back what was rightfully his.

He looked down at his attire, seeing Darcy's ample breasts snugly fit by the green bodice, and he admitted that he would miss being a woman. He'd miss the power he'd had over people, the things he could do.

Mostly, he'd miss Darcy's body. He'd been using it for just enough time to grow attached to it. He'd gained a better appreciation for it, and for her, and once he'd had his own body back, he'd rather like to appreciate her body from the outside, a different perspective, with his own hands sliding over it, tracing over it, and marking every curve and angle of her as his own.

Shaking his thoughts aside, he knew that there was no time for that now. He had work to do, and the magic to undo everything and fulfill his plans was just within his reach.


	8. Body Snatchers

The Flip Side

Chapter Eight: Body Snatchers

"At last!" he spoke triumphantly as the last of his spell was finalized, and the potion brewing in the cauldron mixed and simmered like a frothy stew. Loki looked into it, happy that he was able to skulk around Asgard and find all the necessary ingredients for his reversal spell and the spell he needed to fight an onslaught of Asgardian sorcerers in this mortal form. The brew in the left cauldron would give Darcy power to withstand the magnitude of his magic and defend herself against the magicians in Odin's circle. The cauldron on his right, bubbling with a thick green goo, would revive his body and start the quick rejuvenating process as he spoke the reversal spell.

In the back of his mind he could hear Darcy complaining, hoping she didn't have to drink the green goo.

"No, no, child, we will drink this one," he said, pointing to the purple liquid on the left. "It will give you the power to knock down all of those enchanters in one fell swoop. We don't have time for magic battles, my dear. I need to start the healing process and reversal on my body right away, and I'd rather not be held up by those weaklings."

Quickly, he took a spoonful of the purple liquid and gulped down the bitter taste. He took three more spoonfuls, said a chant, and felt the power already course through her veins.

He scooped up the green goo into a portable vial and wrapped it with a black cord around his neck. With another chant, he was on his way in Darcy's body and his new Asgardian battle regalia, and knew exactly where to go.

His body would mostly likely be in the same place, encircled by the same pathetic enchanters who kept his body from healing. His poor bones would still be chained to a rock, with hungry snakes slithering around him, sucking and biting any flesh that dared to grow back.

Loki vowed to take care of the enchanters and the snakes, confident his spell to strengthen Darcy's mortal coil would be successful.

Strolling into the room, he smiled with Darcy's coy smile as they jumped in attention of him. He held out her hand, and whoosh of energy, purple like miasma, shot through like a swarm of locusts and subdued them all, burning at their skin with a noxious gas that only Darcy and himself would be immune to.

They were dead, and the scepter, imbued with Odin's power, held within the highest ranking mage's hand was destroyed; he was certain of that, but it was little more than they deserved. The snakes deteriorated off his skeleton from the magic too, and when the purple smoke faded into the ether, the air cleared and he stood over his body. He was certain guards were on their way now, with Odin behind him.

So he had to be quick.

He poured the green liquid from the vial into the bony jaw of his body, which was already growing back flesh now that the enchanters and snakes were gone, and he began chanting his reversal spell. It was working! Loki felt the urge to jump into jubilation, but he stayed focused, completing his spell. He watched in anticipation as his body formed, muscles and blood wrapping around his bones, organs pumping with life again, skin forming pale blue and then turning to peach, his hair growing, and his face forming.

Loki let out a sigh of relief as his body became whole again, sleeping soundly without a soul to encase.

"Darcy's it's now time," he said, and he leaned over his sleeping face and pressed her lips to his. It was a strange sensation, kissing himself, but finally he felt the transfer, releasing control back to Darcy in her own body as the kiss deepened. He felt her tongue against his lips, and he reached up a hand and pulled her head against him to draw out the sensation.

He had a body again. He could feel! His hands weaved through her hair and he pulled her over him. She squeaked as he assaulted her mouth, wanting to feel more, wanting to celebrate winning and finally getting his body back. And it was all thanks to her.

He wanted to take all of her, knowing that he'd been looking for pleasure of the flesh before this ordeal. And here she was in front of him; sweet, supple Darcy, and there would be no more waiting, but he couldn't take her, not now. A familiar tingle on the back of his neck sent his senses soaring. Outside the door of this prison, the All-Father was seconds from charging through.

Pulling away, Loki held Darcy's stunned, flushed face in his hands and smiled wickedly, but there was sorrow in his eyes. "I apologize, my dear girl, but I must leave you."

"What, why?" she asked dazedly.

"Thank you," he whispered, and he pushed her away. Odin caught Darcy as he flung her from him, and he prepared to leave, but his father's thunderous voice stopped him.

"Loki, you cannot leave. You abandon your companion now, when you know I will try her as an accomplice to your crimes," Odin threatened.

Loki froze. He could leave now if he wanted to. There was no spell holding him back, not like the one that had held him hostage in that Midgard bar.

And he knew what the crimes she'd be an accomplice to. He knew what her punishment would be, and Darcy would never deserve such cruelty.

"You wouldn't dare!" he seethed at him, turning toward him with fury. Odin seemed resilient, his eyes unwavering from his stark decision.

"She has helped you, and in the end, she was willing. She will be punished under Asgardian law, and you know that I will carry out the sentence with any force necessary," Odin said. "Do not deny it, Loki. I know she is your woman."

Loki tensed, not liking his insinuation. Had Darcy become so important to him she'd become his weakness? He couldn't leave her now. She didn't deserve it. He wanted to be selfish. He wanted to leave her, but he couldn't. Darcy looked at him desperately, and she glanced at Odin, feeling the power of his words.

But she surprised him, rattling his senses. "Go, Loki," Darcy said, staring at Odin. He didn't break eye contact with Loki for her, and Loki presumed he considered her little more than a bug. Her sacrifice would mean nothing to him.

"Go! I'll be alright!" she said, and Loki knew she would not. Whatever Odin did to her, whatever punishment the All-Father bestowed upon her, Loki would find a way tor reverse it. Loki would pay her back for all she had done, and then some.

"This isn't over," Loki sneered at Odin, and he shot Darcy one last apologetic look before he teleported out of the room, and possibly out of Asgard.

* * *

Darcy looked up at Odin, fear brimming in her eyes, but she lifted her chin and knew in her heart she did the right thing. Finally, he looked at her, meeting her gaze with pity and wonder.

"Okay, do your worst! Chained by snakes? Sure, why not? Can I at least have a last meal? You'll have to tell Thor to go to Chicago and get me a stuffed pizza. If I'm going to die by disintegration of snake poison, I want my last meal to be a good one!" she said, putting up her hands to him in surrender.

"Calm down, girl, you will not be sentenced," Odin said with a sigh, and Darcy blinked at him with confusion.

"But..." She watched his expression and gaped. "Ohhh, you were bluffing. You threatened my life and thought Loki would balk. Smart thinking...I guess. You know, I really am tired of being used by everyone. I feel like the proverbial punching bag, and I don't like it. I wish I had my taser," she said, and she saw Odin's curious expression. "Trust me, ask Thor, he knows all about it."

"Father!" Thor's voice rumbled through the halls as he sprinted into the room. He looked ready for a fight, his muscles bulging as he scanned the room. "Where is my brother?"

"Gone," Odin said. "He did not stay for Darcy." Thor looked down at her with pity, but Odin held up a hand. "He wanted to, but the girl didn't let him."

Darcy's face felt on fire she was so embarrassed.

"You...care for my brother, after all he has done?" Thor asked incredulous.

"I never thought Stockholm Syndrome was so sexy..." Darcy lamented, aware that neither of them knew what the hell she was talking about. "Yes, dammit, when you are trapped in someone's mind and experience their memories, they start to grow on you, I guess."

"My son, you must take her back to her world. Her time is done here, and Loki has gotten away again," Odin said.

"Father, you must find a different punishment for my brother. He did not deserve...what you had done to him. He is still our family despite everything he has done. We will find a way to bring him to justice, but it must be fair, and it must be something that we know Loki will not escape," Thor said, and his father nodded, his thoughts already clouding his mind as he began to depart the room.

Darcy felt Thor's strong hand on her shoulder, and she looked up and saw his solemn expression. "Come, Jane waits for you. She has been very worried."

"And Loki? What about him?" Darcy asked, and Thor immediately sighed.

"My brother is my responsibility. I will find him, and I will find a fitting penance for his crimes," Thor said.

"But you agree with me right? No one deserves that...kind of torture," Darcy said with a shudder.

"Aye," Thor said, his gaze looking off into the distance. "I am afraid my brother has a far greater fate in store for him, something none of us on Asgard can escape."

Darcy didn't know what he meant, but Thor wasn't offering many details either. He began walking, motioning for her to follow as they headed to the Bifrost where he explained Heimdall would send them to Midgard through the barely repaired rainbow bridge.

As they were beamed back, Darcy couldn't help but think about Loki. He was a bastard who stole her body and used her for his own selfish plan, but somewhere in there, she got to know more about Loki than he shared with anyone else. She felt his feelings, his anger, his love, and his sorrow.

And after a while, he did not mess her life up too terribly. She'd have to explain things to Clint, and she'd probably forever be monitored at S.H.I.E.L.D, that is if she still had a job with him.

Still, she wanted to see him again. She hoped that Loki was alright. Moreover, she hoped that he was behaving himself, never fulfilling such a dire fate as Thor alluded to. Darcy wondered if that fate was worse than being robbed of his own body, stripped with acid and venom and left to rot for thousands of years.

What could be worse than that?


	9. Closure

The Flip Side

Chapter Nine: Closure

It was amazing that Darcy still had a job with S.H.I.E.L.D. In fact, she thought that Fury was quite entertained by the fiasco of Loki stealing her body. Even Clint and Natasha as well as the other Avengers had been debriefed, and though Natasha barely reacted to the fact that she was a target too, Clint was the most upset, and he almost turned green from the idea that he'd almost slept with Loki, and not Darcy, something that Tony Stark would probably never let him live down.

Though, unfortunately any chance Darcy had with Clint was far from gone, and he put a huge distance between them, and lately he seemed more engrossed in new S.H.I.E.L.D operative Barbara Morse, who had skills that Darcy could never compete with.

_Well, those two were peas in a pod, _Darcy thought.

Thor seemed the most protective of her, talking to her of his memories with his brother, and Darcy finally confronted him about Lady Sif.

"Aye, we are close, so close I wonder if I would have become betrothed to her if I had not met Jane," Thor admitted, looking to the sky and searching the stars for Sif, reminiscing fondly of his friend.

"So she's important to you?" Darcy asked, and Thor nodded, turning to her.

"As you are, Darcy Lewis," he said with a calm smile. Darcy grinned back at him, finally feeling she had nothing to worry about with Thor's intentions toward Jane.

As for her own life, Darcy wasn't that disappointed that she'd lost her chance with Clint. Her thoughts were consumed with Loki, and at night she still dreamed of him as if he'd still been locked in her head, telling her stories and appealing for her help. She even dreamed of him kissing her on a warm green meadow in the hills of shining Asgard.

Though, Darcy had no illusions that he'd ever return to her. She thought it was impossible until he found her again, leaning over her and whispering in her ear as she waited for her mocha latte from Starbucks.

She squawked at the intrusion, not expecting him but missing his voice immediately. She smiled widely. "Hey!" Her voice softened. "You're back."

"Come," he said, taking her arm and ushering her over to a private booth in the back of the shop. She glanced at his attire, almost missing the battle regalia from Asgard. She admitted, he looked sharp in a long black trench coat, houndstooth scarf, and black shirt and matching pants.

"Are you..." Her voice quieted to a whisper. "On the run again?"

"Always," he chuckled easily. "I was certain you'd be still imprisoned in Asgard, but I was glad that my father was bluffing about your punishment."

"Nah, O's a big softie," Darcy said, waving her hand, and Loki's eyes glittered with amusement. "So what about you? Any evil plans now that you have your body back?"

Loki smirked. "Some," he teased mysteriously. "Revenge seems to be top of the list."

"I'll bet," Darcy said, sipping her latte. He was never going to change, was he? Not that she'd want to, or could even try. "Although, I really can't blame you."

"Oh? You have no moral lectures or soothing sermons of peace and love for me? What kind of human are you? A S.H.I.E.L.D agent at that too," Loki mocked.

"Hello? We shared a body once, so do you even know me?" Darcy said with a laugh.

"I suppose you're right," Loki said, and an easy silence fell between them as they stared at each other. Darcy wondered if his thoughts were the same as hers. She missed him, and she wanted to see him so badly, indulging in her fantasies that had kept her thoughts and feelings for him fresh.

"Listen, do you want to go out sometime, you know, when you're not taking over the world and making people bow at your feet," she said, cocking her head and giving him that coy smile he'd used on so many other males to get his way while in her form.

"Such as..."

"Such as a date, idiot. You have to know what I'm asking you," Darcy said with a scoff. "Remember you know me so well."

"I do, which is why I am curious you bother with this pretense," he said, and he folded his hands and leaned toward her. "Why not just ask me into your bed?"

"Whoa, tiger, slow your roll there," she said, holding up her hand. "Can't you for once take things slow? You're so impatient," she told him, and he arched a single brow to her. "Look, it's obvious what we both want."

He looked her up and down and grinned. "Indeed."

"But," she emphasized, "You put me through hell. You did a lot of stuff to me that I'm still kind of pissed about, but I felt like toward the end we were working some stuff out. I feel like...we could really get to know each other. In a normal, stable way."

"Normal," he repeated, biting his lip. "Is this some human thing? How is going to bed together not normal?"

"It is. It very much is," Darcy clarified, but she stood up and looked down at him. She handed him a napkin where she scribbled her number and address, though she was sure Loki could find her anywhere if he wanted. "But relationships are not normal. Love is not normal."

Loki's smile thinned and he looked at her curiously. She felt her face flush again as she made the admission. She _could_ love him. They could have something real.

Did Loki even want that? Could he want that from her?

He released a sigh and rose from his seat, taking her arm. "Very well. We will go on a ...date of your choosing." He pulled her closer and his voice dropped to a sultry whisper. Darcy could feel her pulse quicken as he stroked her arm with his thumb. "But I have not seen you in so long, and I did not intend to miss you, to miss your body, this much. You must give me more than this ...napkin."

"Like?" And she already knew what he wanted. She leaned close to him, touching her lips to his. Fervently, he drew her in, pulling her against him and devouring her mouth. She melted in his arms, finally fulfilling all those dreams she'd had of him, wanted of him.

Some people hooted and whistled at them in the Starbucks, which made Darcy pull away. She nervously giggled against his smile, and he stepped back, taking in her image again.

"Until later, Darcy," he told her, and she swooned at the sight of him, feeling her blood rise with heat at the anticipation of things to come between them.

"Yeah, bye," she managed in a breathy moan, and she watched him disappear into a crowd, her heart thundering wildly in her chest.

She couldn't help it, but Darcy missed him already.


	10. Epilogue

The Flip Side

Chapter Ten: Epilogue

Two days later, Darcy realized just how impatient Loki was. Calling her up through a bizarre, crackling phone line (probably not of this world) and he was already appealing to her for that date they had discussed.

And as much as she'd tortured herself with lewd thoughts of him after they bumped into each other at Starbucks, Darcy figured, waiting two days to have their date was long enough (okay, it was a sex date, she admitted, no need to deny it).

Normally, in this situation, she would panic at what she would wear, but the green dress with a golden sequined neckline was perfect over a pair of thin black tights. She was sure it would be reminiscent of that get-up he'd worn that time he'd possessed her body and stalked around Asgard, conjuring up spells.

Ah, the memories. And she was sure he'd appreciate it.

Despite his anticipation as well as hers, he at least tried to make it seem like he was coming over for a proper date, picking her up and doing just what Midgardians did on such ventures, go to dinner, catch up, flirt and then go home for coffee and dessert.

It was hilarious thinking of the kind of research that Loki may have gone through to come to such a schedule for their outing, but Darcy didn't care. Not anymore, not when he was right within her grasp.

Damn, she was a fool for him. What kind of idiot falls for the guy who possesses her body? Not even Ghost Hunters could explain this mystery. She was SOL and had to deal with it all on her own.

And Loki was a bad guy. He'd never change. He was sympathetic, sure, but he was probably scheming about world domination right now, just before he wined and dined her.

_Can't think about that now,_ Darcy thought, though she hated how inwardly blasé she was about Loki's destructive tendencies. It was a guaranteed ticket to nuthouse, she was sure. And she would plead her case, "But Doctor, who cares if he's the god of mischief and evil and whatever else, he's so hot!"

And then they'd get the jacket out, strap her tight, and throw her into a padded cell where she belonged.

Grinning, Darcy knew that if that did happen, Loki would rescue her.

Putting the finishing touches on her makeup, Darcy almost jumped when he appeared behind her out of the blue, totally lacking manners.

"Hey!" she said, grateful the shock didn't ruin her make up. "You're not supposed to be here yet," she pouted at him with fists on her hips.

"I could not wait," he said smoothly, his eyes casting over her body, slowly as if her were drinking in her entire image. "Beautiful."

"Yeah, you're going to have to wait just a little longer; I'm hungry," she said, and spun around to apply her lipstick. "And thanks," she smiled at his reflection in her mirror. He left with a tense expression and waited for her in her bedroom. She peered out of her door, watching him as he sized up her room in the Avengers Tower.

"Pretty risky you coming here to meet me. I was okay meeting you at the restaurant," she said, and he scoffed.

"It was more fun to infiltrate the Avengers high tech security system," Loki said mockingly. "Pathetic."

"I'll have to tell Tony you approve," she replied sardonically.

"Forget him," he said, and when she appeared in the doorway, she smiled at him, drinking in a good look of him herself. Damn, she had waited too long for him. Loki was right. Maybe this patience thing was overrated.

Her stomach growled in protest, not agreeing with her thoughts.

"Come," he said, drawing her close to him as he took her arm.

Darcy grinned up at him. "Wanna do something even bolder than sneaking into the Avengers Tower?"

Loki arched an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Walking out the front door as my escort, for all your enemies to see," Darcy said with a wicked grin.

"Won't you lose your job, and jeopardize your place in their circle?" Loki asked her, surprised she would even suggest such a thing.

"Yeah right, they need me. Fury said it himself," Darcy said. "You just make it all the more interesting."

Leaning down, he drew her in for a hot, mind-blowing kiss before pulling away and grinning at her. "Clever, intriging girl, I knew I loved your mind for a reason."

She tittered happily and they walked out the door, leaving shocked glances and gaping expressions in their wake. No one made a move to stop them or separate them; they carried on, with smirks on their satisfied faces.

* * *

This "date" was drawing out far too long. He was antsy and tired of waiting. He'd wanted her the moment he saw her in that green dress glittering with gold, her chest calling out to him as he waited, feeling so drawn to her.

He really had become attached to Darcy's body, more than he'd anticipated since he'd taken possession of her. She was distracting to him, and though he knew every angle and curve of her body, he was still all the way over here and not touching it, not exploring her when he rightly deserved to do so.

She was prattling on about Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D gossip, and though he might have been mildly intrigued by such things normally, he desired her so badly he did not care.

Darcy was long done with her meal, and she was a few glasses of wine into their conversation as well. She looked relaxed, compliant, and she kept sending him those same sultry looks that he himself had used against Clint Barton.

His body tensed as she threw him another glance, and he was ready to sprint from the restaurant and carry her like a cackling villain out the door.

"So, you want to get out of here or what?" she said, her words slurring. Perhaps she had four glasses of wine instead of three. Loki couldn't be sure he had even been paying attention.

"Are you...still challenging my patience?" he teased her.

"Well, you've looked like you've wanted to eat me since you picked me up at the Avengers Tower. I'm sure this dinner was torture for you," she said, wiggling her brow suggestively.

"No more or no less than poisonous snakes," he quipped with a tight smile.

"Aw, poor baby, I'll fix that attitude later. In the meantime, let's get one of these swanky bottles of wine to go," she said loosely.

He swallowed as he watched her. He felt like a fool. He was falling into the same traps so many males had fallen in with her. He was intrigued, more so, he desired her and would not stop pursuing her until he'd bedded her and washed away all this burgeoning frustration.

Loki snapped his finger to one of the waiters, gave him enough money to cover their bill and a bottle of wine, and hastily drew Darcy with him out the door. He'd considered teleporting them to her bedroom, but he figured he'd could wait long enough to parade her back through the Avengers Tower with his full intention toward the girl more than obvious to the other pathetic rogues that dwell there.

And they did. With smiles on their faces. Darcy even waved to Clint as Loki held her arm.

Okay, so perhaps that was overdoing things, but Loki was enjoying the show. And then, he would enjoy more –_ more of Darcy_.

As the door creaked closed, they gravitated toward each other in the low light of the room, only powered by a small lamp on her end table.

Loki couldn't wait any longer. He'd missed her body – and her, way too much. He reached for her, drawing her close and pulling away at her clothes and exposing her entirety to him. He longed to feel that skin in his hands again, from this side of the body, touching her with his own hands, loving her parts of her from this perception.

His hands squeezed her full breasts, and she arched toward him, moaning as he took them into his mouth, one pebbled nipple by one. Yes, they were lovely, and her soft cries stirred his senses as he motioned her toward the bed.

Her hand were on him this time, tugging at his clothes, and he was thankful (and so was she) he'd wore nothing complicated that night other than a sharp charcoal gray suit and a green tie. She snagged the tie from his neck and vaulted it somewhere into her room, and she laughed as he took her lips again, smiling against her teeth before her tongue dove into his mouth.

Her taste. So lovely, so sweet and fulfilling like the fruit of a healthy tree.

_Darcy Lewis,_ he thought, _how lucky I am to have chosen you, to have you as mine._

Pushing her down against the bed, he hovered over her, sliding his fingers in his hair to pull it from his face. He gazed down at her, his mouth open as he stared at the pale figure of her, wanting and pulsating beneath him in the glowing light.

He would have her. This was her reward for helping him. This was what he could give for making him whole again.

He leaned down, wrapping his arm around her back and drawing her up against him. His fingers fluttered through her hair and she moaned as he suckled on her breasts again. Her legs shuddered, folding around him as she bucked her pelvis against his hardness. Drawing down another hand, he felt her wetness, and she moaned lightly as he pushed a long finger inside, pulling it back, and finding his rhythm as she writhed around him.

Boneless to his touch, she succumbed to him. The only human to let him rule her, the only human to profess her love. Was she the fool or was he?

Pulling out his finger, he drew his fingers up to taste her and closed his eyes. So sweet, so musk, so lovely and open. Shifting his weight he found the apex of her warmth, and he glided inside her. Darcy inhaled a satisfied breath as he entered her, and already she was moving her hips, frantic for release.

"Shhh..." he said against her lips, kissing a trail of kisses before he finally devoured her again. His hips bucked, and he felt a rise of heat wash over him, drawing him to the skies, teasing him with release, beckoning him aloft to a gilded peak.

It'd been so long for him to feel this loved, this desired, that in this instant he felt her come, Loki felt like there had been no time at all, that there had been no one else.

That there had only been Darcy. She cried her release, her frenetic hips slowing as she came down, shuddering with aftershocks of pleasure as she slumped down back into the bed covers with a lazy smile. Loki thrust wildly, grunting as he spilled inside her, finally reaching his peak as she started at him, catching his eyes like a doomed spell.

Loki didn't mind Darcy's spell. He would stay here forever, within her, if he could.

And this would not be the last time he would have her. Oh no. The moment he took her body for his own, he never imagined he'd take her for so much more. He never imagined by taking, he'd want to keep her.

And he would.

"Little minx," he said to her with a smirk. He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her lips. "You bewitched me."

"Yeah, I have that effect on guys," Darcy said with a wider smile. "Seriously, if anyone deserves a medal here." She traced a light finger down the center curve of his chest. Rolling to his side, he propped himself up on an elbow and stared at her, his fingers idly finding her hair.

"I was right in my decision, of choosing your body," Loki said. "I was not sure in the beginning. I wondered, how could this human girl, so awkward and unassuming, be so appealing?"

"That's just my hot geek power. Men are unable to resist," Darcy joked.

"Geek power?" he repeated, his eyes seemingly amused.

"Yep, guys don't like the thin models or whored out celebrities anymore. It's all about the geeky girl that can talk video games and comic books and still, you know, be female," she said, and she caught him staring at her breasts... again. "I'm sure those help too."

"Oh, quite right," Loki agreed, and she threw a pillow at him. She laughed when he jumped for her, straddled her and pinned down her wrists. "You mad, mad girl, how did you sneak your way into my life?"

"Does that mean...you want to see me again?" Darcy asked in a heavy breath. His eyes caught her, and he wondered what she was thinking, what she was feeling, and if her heart belonged to him.

"Silly woman, don't you know?" Loki said with a darkened chuckle. "I stole your body, but I have never given it back. Not for a moment." He leaned down and nuzzled against her shoulder. "You, Darcy Lewis, are all mine now. Always."

Normally, she would be averse to this macho male claim upon her, but she couldn't fight it with Loki. He was right. Darcy did belong to him, body and so much more.

And perhaps he'd never admit it, but Darcy could see it clearly in his eyes, that Loki had belonged to her too.

END


End file.
